Blind
by Darkbring3r
Summary: Ruby and Weiss are single on Valentine's day. At the coaxing of Yang, they both download an app that automatically pairs them with an anonymous person to talk to, both of them unaware that the other had done the same. Two single girls talking to a random person online. What's the worst that could happen? Future WhiteRose story. Cover image done by Terkontar.
1. Innocent Beginnings

Ruby Rose forcefully plopped down onto her bed, threw her head into her pillow, and let out a heavy sigh. She closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and pulled out her scroll. As she pushed a button, an internet browser opened up, which made her immediately regret taking her scroll out in the first place.

" _Of course. This day is the worst."_

The internet homepage had been decorated for the current holiday – Valentine's Day; the one day that Ruby hated out of the entire year. It always reminded her that she was alone. She had tons of friends, several of which she thought of as family, but she didn't have a special someone that was something… _more_.

A few years ago, something like this wouldn't have bothered her. The concept of dating hadn't even crossed her mind until she came to Beacon. However, now she had been enrolled at Beacon for a couple years, and over time she began to notice all of the "pairs" that began to form around her.

Ren had Nora, Jaune had Pyrrha, and even though the two of them would never admit it, Yang had Blake. Even Velvet and Coco had started dating, effectively earning the couple the name "CrossHares".

Ruby threw her scroll down and rolled over in her bed. "This day sucks."

"Hey, you okay?"

The dark-haired girl rolled over and saw big, lilac eyes staring back at her. "Yeah. I'm fine, Yang."

"Are you sure? You don't sound fine." The blonde placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow curiously. "You sound annoyed."

"It's just… It's just this day, y'know?"

"Uh, Tuesday?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "No. Valentine's Day."

"Oooooh, I know what's up with you. All of the romance in the air has got you down, doesn't it?"

Ruby sat up and shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I guess. It's just that everyone else has someone to spend today with, and I'm just sitting here. In bed. With my scroll."

"Hey, not everyone has someone to spend time with today. I don't, either."

The younger girl scoffed. "Oh, please. Everyone in the school knows that you and Blake are dating."

Yang's eyes widened in surprise and a blush slowly crept across her face. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"You mean to tell me that you weren't going to make some excuse later so that you could slip out and 'conveniently' bump into Blake? Or that you wouldn't meet her at the dance tonight?"

The elder sister's gaze drifted downward and she kicked the floor nervously. "Well..."

Ruby smirked. "That's what I thought." Then, she laid back down and placed her hands behind her head. "I'm just ready for this day to be over."

Yang hopped up onto Ruby's bed and wrapped her arm around her baby sister's shoulders. "Hey, cheer up. This might not mean much coming from me, but don't think of today as Valentine's day. Just think of it as a regular day."

"That's not the easiest thing to do. I mean, the entire cafeteria has been decorated for it, some of the dorms have been decorated for it, even the homepage for Beacon's internet has little hearts all over it. I can't get away from it."

Yang sighed and pulled out her scroll. "Well, I might know something that could help you feel better."

"And that would be what, exactly?"

The blonde fidgeted with her scroll until a screen popped up that showed a picture of a heart, but it had a giant, black line through it. "This is something I heard some people talking about earlier. It's an app you can download on your scroll. It's for people that are single on Valentine's Day. I mean, it will work after today, but that's what it was originally made for."

"What does it… do?"

Yang pressed a button, which caused another screen to pop up. "It will automatically match you with a random person to talk to. Everybody on here is single."

"So, it's a dating app," Ruby deadpanned.

"Not exactly. This is more for people that just want to have a conversation, not necessarily date someone. I know it's not a date, but it's the best I can offer you. If you want me to stay in with you tonight, I will, but I-"

"No, no, don't do that, I'll be alright by myself. I don't want to ruin your night and keep you cooped up in here with me."

"Are you sure? I really don't mind."

Ruby nodded. "Yes, I'm sure." She nudged Yang softly in the side and smiled. "You and Blake have fun."

"I, uh… Thanks." The blonde jumped off of the bed and started to make her way out of the dorm. As she opened the door, she turned around to face her sister. "Oh, and can you keep the whole 'me and Blake are a couple' thing under wraps? We don't really want everyone to know yet."

"You got it."

"Thanks." She stepped out of the dorm, but poked her head around the door before she shut it. "One more thing; The name of that app is Beacon Chat, just so you know."

Ruby groaned. "Goodbye, Yang."

Yang chuckled as her blonde hair disappeared behind the door. As it shut, Ruby rolled onto her side and brought out her scroll. _"Beacon Chat, huh?"_ She pulled up the app and stared at it for a few seconds before hitting the download button. _"I guess there's no real harm in trying it. It's not like I have anything better to do tonight."_

* * *

As Yang shut the door, she bumped into someone on the other side, knocking them to the ground in the process. "Oh, god, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention. Do you ne- Oh, hey Weiss. What are you doing here?"

"You mean, besides getting knocked over," the heiress said with a slight hint of annoyance.

Yang scratched the back of her head nervously. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"Well, if you must know, I came by to get a few things. I left some textbooks in the dorm room that I need."

"Textbooks? What do you need those for?"

"To study, obviously."

The blonde was taken aback. "You're studying? On Valentine's Day?!"

Weiss placed a hand on her hip. "Of course. What else am I supposed to do?"

Yang threw her hands in the air. "You're supposed to have fun! Go on a date! Eat a fancy dinner with another person! Buy some chocolates for somebody! Anything except study! The dance is tonight, too!"

The heiress rolled her eyes and walked towards the door to Team RWBY's dorm room. "I don't have anybody to spend today with, or dance with, for that matter. There isn't even anyone I'm interested in, so I am going to study."

As Weiss turned the doorknob to the dorm, Yang stopped her. "Wait, wait, wait, I have something you might like."

Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll bite. What is it?"

Yang grinned and pulled out her scroll. "Okay, so it's a text app called Beacon Chat."

The heiress instantly regretted her decision. " _Oh, here we go."_

The blonde noticed Weiss' expression change into one of annoyance, and tried to speed her explanation along. "It's an app for single people on Valentine's Day, you can ta-"

Weiss held up one hand and opened the door with the other. "Well, I've heard enough. I don't need anything like that."

"Wait, you don't understand, you ca-"

"Thank you for your concern, Yang, but I'm perfectly fine with studying." She stepped into the dorm room, shut the door in the blonde's face, and didn't let go of the doorknob until she heard retreating footsteps. _"That girl, I swear."_

"Weiss, is that you?"

The white-haired girl turned around and was greeted with silver eyes peering over the top bunk bed on the left side of the room. "Yes, it's me."

"I thought so. It sounded like you and Yang were talking about something outside. Anything good?"

Weiss shook her head. "No, your sister was just being a pest."

"Oh, yeah? What did she want?"

"Nothing important. She was rambling on about some sort of an app for single people. I didn't really care to hear about something like that, so I ignored the rest of it."

Ruby sat up and dangled her legs off the side of her bed. "Wait, are you alone today, too?"

"I am. Are you?"

"Yup." Ruby nodded once in confirmation. "I figured I would just spend the rest of the day in here, but I'm surprised you don't have anyone to spend today with."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, you're really pretty and smart. I figured all the boys would be all over you."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "That isn't the kind of attention I want. I'm not interested in anything like that anyway."

There was a loud thud as Ruby jumped off her bed and hit the floor. "What about Neptune? You seemed to really like him."

"I did, at least, I thought I did. He was handsome, but the more I got to know him, the more he just annoyed me."

Ruby giggled and gently poked Weiss in the head. "I think everyone has that effect on you after a while."

The heiress brushed her hand away and walked over to a small, wooden dresser in the corner of the room. "You say that like it's my fault."

"I didn't mean to, but it's not exactly hard to get on your nerves."

This earned Ruby a glare from Weiss.

"See?"

The heiress pulled a couple of textbooks and a notebook out of one of the drawers in the dresser and turned around. "I'm sorry, that's not directed at you. This day is just…" Weiss looked at her textbooks, then back to Ruby and sighed. "I'm just ready for this day to be over."

" _Yeah, you and me both, Weiss."_ As Weiss began to walk towards the door, Ruby stopped her. "Hey, where are you going?"

"The library. it's one of the few places that isn't smothered in decorations. Hopefully, I'll be able to study in peace there."

"Well, I don't have anything to do. Do you mind if I come along?" Ruby pressed her index fingers together and looked at the ground. "Maybe we could study… together?"

"Normally, I wouldn't mind, but I would rather be alone tonight. I'm sorry."

Ruby smiled half-heartedly. "No, that's fine, I totally get it. Some other time, then. See ya later, Weiss."

The heiress smiled in return, made her way out of the dorm, and closed the door behind her, leaving Ruby by herself.

The brunette jumped back up onto her bed and pulled out her scroll. She opened Beacon Chat and laid down. _"Well, it looks like this is gonna be the rest of my night."_

* * *

As Weiss made her way to the library, her thoughts wandered to what Yang had said. _"Such a ridiculous suggestion. A chat app, really? Why would I need something like that?"_

The heiress turned down a hallway and stepped through a large, marble archway, which led into the library. As she walked further into the room, she caught sight of a small, round table towards the back of the library. _"That spot looks as good as any."_

She walked towards the table, set her textbooks and notebook down and sat down in a chair. She scooted closer to the table, then took in her surroundings. They were a good number of people here, but far less than usual, and the ones that were there didn't look like they would bother her. _"Let's hope it stays this quiet."_

She started to open one of the textbooks and opened her notebook at the same time. Once she had her study materials set up to her liking, she pulled a pen out of the spine of her notebook. _"Okay, time to get started."_

A couple of hours passed, and Weiss' eyes darted from book to book as she switched between reading and writing notes. Before long, she became tired. She wasn't sleepy, just tired from staring at a textbook for a long amount of time with no breaks.

She pulled out her scroll to check the time and was surprised with how late it was. _"I didn't realize that I had been at this for so long."_ She set her scroll down, then interlaced her fingers, popped her knuckles, and stretched her arms. _"I guess I could take a break for a while."_

The sound of her scroll ringing caught her attention. She grabbed it and noticed that something had shown up in her notifications. She opened it and was greeted with the message: _**Hello, students. Don't forget that the annual Valentine's Day dance is tonight! Make sure you're ready to go!**_

The heiress simply shook her head and deleted the message. _"Stupid."_ She leaned back in her chair, craned her neck to the side, and quickly realized that she was sore from sitting in the chair for as long as she did. _"Okay, maybe I'll make that break I was going to take a little bit longer."_ She then pushed her chair away from the table and stood up, then started to walk out of the library. _"If I'm going to be here for much longer, I'm going to need something to drink."_ She exited the library and turned down a hallway, making her way towards a vending machine.

As she walked down the hall, she passed several couples along the way. She showed no reaction to them, but every time she passed someone, the message that she had received on her scroll kept playing in the back of her mind.

She eventually reached the vending machine, pushed the correct number combination for a bottle of water, then started to head back to the library. Once again, she was met with several couples as she passed by, the message growing more nagging with every face she passed.

Once she reached the library, she walked straight to the back and sat down at her table. After a few moments of sitting completely still and just staring at her books, she pulled out her scroll. She pushed several buttons until she was staring at the homepage for Beacon Chat. _"I guess there's nothing to lose."_

She let out an exasperated sigh and pressed the download button. _"Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"_

* * *

 **Hey, all!**

 **So, I've been planning this story for a few weeks now, and finally decided to put a "teaser" chapter out. Hope you guys find interesting enough to want a second chapter.**

 **Also, to anyone that reads my other stuff, don't worry. This story won't interrupt the chapters of "Snowstorm" at all. That story will always take priority. Which means that chapters for this will most likely come out very slowly. Just a heads up.**

 **Oh, and if this is your first time reading anything by me, hi! Hope you stick around.**

 **Well, that's all from me for now. I'll see y'all in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	2. Weiss' New Friend

**Seventy-five follows after the first chapter?! What are you guys thinking?! Thanks for the follows and favorites! You're all awesome!**

* * *

Weiss stared blankly at her scroll as a small circle spun in the center of the screen with the word "connecting" underneath it. Each time the circle made a complete rotation, her interest waned. After a while, she started to chant internally in time with the circle as her eyes followed it's repetitive path.

" _Spin. Spin. Spin. Spin."_

Before long, her finger started to hover over the cancel button on the bottom of the screen, but she stopped herself from pushing it as the circle disappeared and a blank, white screen took its place. Weiss eyed the screen carefully, waiting for something to happen. When nothing seemed to change, her finger once again found its way to the cancel button, but before she pressed it, small, black text appeared at the top of the screen.

 _ **Hello?**_

The heiress hesitated. She had downloaded the app because- though she tried to deny it, even to herself -she was lonely. After all, Yang made a good point. It was Valentine's Day, and while seemingly everyone else had a partner for tonight, Weiss was alone, studying in the library. But now she had someone messaging her, and she didn't know what to do. After dismissing her fears as unwarranted, she began to slowly type a reply.

W: **Good evening.**

Weiss waited for a response, unsure what to expect. She waited a few seconds, then another message appeared beneath the one that she had just sent.

 _ **How are you?**_

Lonely, bored, tired of being surrounded by couples, frustrated that she had permitted herself to download this ridiculous app; none of these were things she could send in a message. Well, she could, but she told herself that saying one of those things would end the conversation quickly. While she wasn't entirely opposed to the idea, she did want to make a small effort, at least. If this app turned out to be more of a nuisance than it was worth, all she needed to do was uninstall it.

W: **I'm doing well. Yourself?**

Once again, the person replied fairly quickly.

 _ **Eh, I've been better, but I'll be alright tomorrow.**_

Now it was Weiss' turn to lead the conversation, which is the last thing she wanted to happen. _"Oh, fantastic. What am I supposed to say to that?"_ The white-haired girl's fingers rested at the sides of her scroll as she thought of a response. She typed out a quick message after a few seconds, only to delete it before hitting "send", unhappy with it.

Weiss held her scroll with one hand and lowered the other to rest on the table, then began to drum her fingers along the hard, wooden surface. She then set her scroll down on the table and placed her chin in her now free hand. _"What do I even respond with?"_ She started to focus on the sound of her fingernails hitting the table, instead of her scroll, until another message popped up.

 _ **Hey, are you still there?**_

The heiress sighed as she picked her scroll back up and typed out the same message that she had previously deleted, unable to think of anything else. _"I will most likely regret this."_

W: **Yes, I'm still here. I was… distracted. Is something wrong?**

As she waited for a response, Weiss began to gather up the study materials that she had brought with her. She closed her textbooks and her notebook, then stacked them neatly, largest on the bottom and smallest on the top, and tucked her pen into the spine of the notebook. _"I suppose I can call it a night, even if it is a bit early to go to bed."_

Weiss leaned back in her chair and started to rub the sore muscles in her neck that she had acquired while studying. A heavy sigh pushed its way passed her lips as she massaged the tender spots on her neck and her shoulders, which she suddenly realized the pain had spread to. Her scroll then rang, catching her attention. As she held it up, she noticed that she had received another message.

 _ **No, not really. What makes you ask that?**_

The young huntress' thumbs worked their way across her scroll's keyboard as she typed her reply. Throughout the years of talking to her friends by texting, she had learned how to type fairly quickly. Although, she was somewhat hindered by her steadfast refusal to use shorthand.

W: **Well, you mentioned that you've been better. It sounds like something has upset you.**

At this point, Weiss had stood out of her chair, gathered her books in one arm and her scroll in her free hand, and started to make her way back to Team RWBY's dorm. However, she slowed her pace when she received another message.

 _ **Oh, that. It's just the whole Valentine's Day thing. I'm not too crazy about it.**_

Weiss then stopped walking completely in order to text the person back. As she typed her message, a long, loud yawn escaped her mouth, which caught her by surprise. _"Hm, I guess I was more tired than I thought."_ She blinked several times in an attempt to wake herself up enough to reply.

W: **Ah, that's somewhat understandable. I've never been overly fond of this holiday myself. It seems like a giant waste of time.**

Once her message had been successfully sent, Weiss continued on her path to the dorm room. After about a minute of walking, she suddenly took notice of the fact that the halls of the school were quite empty. When she had gone to the vending machine earlier, there had been several couples walking around. Now, they were most likely at the Valentine's dance, which made the young girl treasure the silence and solitude that she hadn't had earlier. The silence, however, was briefly interrupted by her scroll ringing.

 _ **I don't know if I would go that far, but if that's the case for you, how are you spending your night?**_

" _Oh,"_ Weiss thought, _"an easy question."_ Her steps ceased as she replied, the only sound in the hallway being the slight "click" sound of the touchpad on her scroll.

W: **Studying. Seeing as how I had nothing to do tonight, I thought I would do something productive and find somewhere quiet at the same time.**

Satisfied with her answer, Weiss turned down another hallway on her way to the dorms as she stared at her scroll. _"This app definitely isn't the worst thing I could have gotten. I think I owe Yang an apology for earlier."_ As she walked, she started to hear noise coming from somewhere that she couldn't quite determine. She stopped walking in order to concentrate on the noise, only to figure out how close she was to the cafeteria, which was where the Valentine's dance was currently being held.

The young Schnee attempted to quickly walk past the entrance to the cafeteria unnoticed, but her plan was foiled as a familiar voice called out to her, followed by the sound of high heels on linoleum.

"Weiss? Hey, Weiss! I guess you decided to show up after all."

Weiss gritted her teeth and turned around. The first thing she noticed was long, blonde hair trailing down over a set of broad shoulders, which then stopped just above some _very_ pronounced cleavage, courtesy of a long, yellow dress that most likely barely met the school's dress code. "Actually, Yang, I was just on my way back to our dorm room from the library. I'm done studying for the night and I would like to go to bed. So, if you'll excuse me."

As the heiress turned to walk away, a hand grabbed her gently, but firmly, on her shoulder. "Aw, come on, don't be like that. Come into the cafeteria for a little while. You might have fun!"

"No, thank you," Weiss said as she began to pry off her blonde teammate's fingers. "As I said, I plan on going to sleep fairly soon." She freed herself from Yang's grasp and turned around, but stopped when her scroll rang. When she pulled it out to look at it, Yang gasped. Weiss internally rolled her eyes and turned around.

Yang was grinning from ear to ear. "You downloaded it!"

Apologies be damned. Now Weiss was irritated. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as she let out a sigh of annoyance. "Yes, I did, and I'll have you know that I am having a conversation with someone as we speak. Which is all the more reason I would like to cut this one short."

The blonde could care less that her teammate was, more or less, telling her to shut up. The fact that she had downloaded the app made her ecstatic. "I get it. You go have fun talking to your new friend! I'll see you back at the dorm!" Yang waved goodbye to Weiss as she turned around, her blonde hair flowing through the air as she did so.

Weiss then turned her back to the cafeteria and looked at her scroll.

 _ **Oh, that makes sense, I guess.**_

Before the heiress could reply, another message popped up on her screen.

 _ **Hey, I'm not trying to be rude by saying this or anything, but I am pretty tired, so I think I'm gonna call it a night. But I liked talking to you, even if it wasn't very much. Would you want to talk again sometime? I'm always up for making new friends. :)**_

The question ran through Weiss' head for a while as she thought about her answer. _"Well, this person definitely didn't annoy me, but that might change over time."_ After staring at the keyboard on her scroll for a few seconds, she put her thumbs to work. _"I suppose I can give them a chance."_

W: **I'm not opposed to that idea, but how would we get back in touch with each other? Doesn't this pick people at random?**

Weiss could now see the dorms in the distance. As she drew closer, she suddenly had the urge to sneeze. Her head reared back as she readied herself, and as it jerked forward from the act of sneezing, she dropped her books and her scroll. _"That's just great."_ She flattened her skirt against the back of her legs as she knelt down to pick them up, but became distracted as the sound of her scroll ringing echoed throughout the empty hallway. Weiss cursed herself as she picked up her scroll, in disbelief that she dropped everything she was holding.

 _ **That's true, but I figured out something. If you save somebody as a contact in the app, then you can message them whenever you want. I just saved you, so now it's your turn to save me.**_

The heiress' eyes scanned her screen as she looked for some sort of button that looked like it could be used for contacts. After a few seconds passed, she found one. At the top right of her screen, tucked away in the very far corner, was a button that was the shape of a face. As she pressed it, a secondary screen popped up over her messages, which prompted her to save the person as a friend in the app. She pressed yes, then typed her reply.

W: **Alright, I have saved you as a friend. Seeing as how you're going to bed, and I will most likely be heading there soon myself, I guess I will talk to you another time.**

Once she was done gathering up her things, Weiss began to walk towards Team RWBY's dorm, which was now directly in front of her. She reached for the doorknob, but just before she touched it, another message showed up on her scroll.

 _ **Awesome! I'll talk to you later, then. Goodnight.**_

The sound of Weiss typing out her response filled the hallway.

W: **Goodnight to you, as well.**

Weiss placed her scroll in her pocket and opened the door to the dorm room. As she stepped inside, she was greeted with silver eyes looking back at her with surprise.

"Oh, hey, Weiss. I didn't think you would be back this early."

"Yes, well, I decided to quit a little early. I guess I was more tired than I realized." The heiress made her way across the room and started to put her books away in her dresser. She yawned when she was done, then turned around and noticed Ruby wearing her pajamas. "Oh, are you going to bed, too?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty beat. Not sure why, but I'm not gonna question it. The sooner I go to sleep, the sooner I can forget about today."

Weiss nodded in agreement. "I completely understand how you feel." The white-haired girl walked over to a closet and pulled out a bright, blue nightgown. "I have the same plan as you."

Ruby smiled as she jumped onto her bed. "Not crazy about Valentine's Day either, huh?"

"Not particularly, no." Weiss disappeared behind the bathroom door as she stepped inside and shut it. She quickly disrobed herself and slid her nightgown over her head. Before walking into the bedroom, she looked over herself in a full-body mirror that hung in the bathroom. In her eyes, she had a rather unremarkable body. She didn't have the curves of Yang, or the dark, somewhat gothic beauty of Blake, or even the childlike cuteness of Ruby. In her mind, she was just… plain, though she knew that her teammates would never agree with her. A small, somber chuckle escaped her lips as she thought, _"Valentines Day… as if I would be able to get a valentine, even if I wanted one."_ She quickly shook the thought from her head and walked out of the bathroom.

As Weiss stepped out of the bathroom, Ruby waved at her with a sleepy expression on her face. "Goodnight, Weiss."

"Did you wait for me to get out of the bathroom just for that?"

"Yup. It just seemed like something nice to do."

Weiss smiled in return. "Goodnight, Ruby."

The scythe wielder then grinned and rolled over, turning her back to her partner.

The light in the bedroom then went off as Weiss flipped a switch at the side of the room, then she walked over to her bed and slid under her blankets.

Before long, the only sound in the room was the breathing of the two present members of Team RWBY. And, unbeknownst to them, they were sharing the same thoughts.

" _Tomorrow will be better."_

* * *

Time then passed, Ruby and Weiss had fallen asleep, and all was quiet in the dorm, with only the occasional creak of the wooden floor from the room above team RWBY's, which acted as the girl's ceiling. It seemed as though Ruby and Weiss would be able to sleep without any interruptions... until the door swung open and Blake and Yang strode, very loudly, into the room.

"Man, that was a blast," exclaimed Yang as she stepped further into the room.

The statement earned the blonde a smile from her faunus girlfriend. "I'd be lying if I said it was boring." Blake then sat down on her bed and began to take off a pair of black high heels, then a blue, silk bow around her ears. As the bow slid off her ears, she closed her eyes and let out a long breath. _"It's always nice to take that off."_ Suddenly, the faunus felt fingers on her ears and turned around to see Yang grinning widely. "Can I help you?"

"Hmm, nope!" Yang continued to rub her girlfriend's cat ears as she hummed happily to herself. Then, she leaned around Blake and her eyes went wide. "Oh! I forgot to tell you! Weiss and Ruby downloaded that app I told them about!"

Blake shrugged and stared at Yang with half-lidded eyes. "Okay?"

Yang groaned and gently slapped Blake in the arm. "That means that the two of them could finally have, y'know, a 'significant other'."

"Well, it would be nice to see them happy." Blake then leaned into Yang, rested her head on her shoulder, and took a few strands of her hair between her fingers and started to twist it playfully. "How do you know they downloaded it?"

"When I came back to change into my dress, Ruby told me that she downloaded it." Yang then gingerly moved away from her girlfriend, much to the faunus' displeasure. The blonde looked at her with an apologetic expression, which seemed to satisfy Blake, for the moment. Happy with her reaction, Yang started to walk towards a large, yellow trunk at the end of Blake's bed. "Hey, I'm gonna change into my pajamas real quick. I'll be out in a sec."

"Wait," Blake said as she sat up and straightened her clothes. "Didn't you say Weiss downloaded it, too? How do you know that?"

Yang grabbed a set of pajamas and shut her trunk, more loudly than she meant to, which caused a bassy thud to radiate through the room. Yang and Blake exchanged worried glances, then looked to their sleeping teammates. Ruby stirred a little in her sleep, but that seemed to be the only reaction from either girl. After a few moments passed, Yang answered with, "I saw her at the dance – Weiss – That's how I know."

Blake raised an eyebrow curiously. "She was at the dance? I didn't see her."

Yang waved a hand dismissively as she walked towards the bathroom with her pajamas tucked under one arm. "Well, she wasn't _at_ the dance, but she walked by it. When she did, I saw her and talked to her for a couple of minutes."

A yawn escaped Blake's mouth as the faunus stretched her muscles and popped her joints. She then stood up and walked over to a small, black trunk that was right beside the one Yang had just accidentally slammed shut. The trunks were basically complete opposites. Yang's was plain in structure and a little on the "aged" side but was painted very brightly, while Blake's was a much darker color, but had extremely ornate details carved into the edges that were only noticeable upon close inspection. Blake stared at the trunks and smiled. _"Yang's fits her so well."_

The faunus' thoughts were shaken from her head as the bathroom door opened and Yang stepped out, yawning loudly as she walked toward her bed. "Phew, it feels so much more comfortable to be in my pj's instead of that dress."

"Well, if it's any consolation, it looked very good on you."

Yang smirked at the remark. "Not as good as yours looks on you."

Blake was wearing a strapless and shoulderless black dress. It had a slit down the left side that started just below her waist and trailed down to the bottom of the dress. Around her midsection was a dark blue ribbon that wrapped completely around her and had long tassels that hung down behind her, stopping right behind her knees. Blake opened her trunk, took a set of clothes out of it, then stood up. "Thank you, though I don't see myself dressing up like this again anytime soon."

"Aw, but I like seeing you all dressed up. You look great."

"I appreciate the compliment, but I think this is more trouble than it's worth." Blake walked towards the bathroom and smiled at her partner before she shut the door. "I'll be out soon." The bathroom door shut and Blake sighed as she made her way to the bathroom sink. She took out a set of small, yellow earrings, untied the ribbon around her waist, and slid off her dress. She then quickly put on her pajamas, which consisted of loose-fitting, black pants and a dark gray t-shirt. A shiver went up Blake's spine as she walked to the door and opened it. _"It's quite cold tonight."_

Once the door was open, she heard a whistle come from her right. She faced the direction the noise was coming from and saw Yang peering over the edge of her bed, a wide grin plastered across her face. "Hey there, gorgeous."

Blake rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "What are you doing?"

"I'm… _cat_ -calling you."

"Ugh."

Yang rested her elbows on her mattress, propped her head up in her hands, and slowly kicked her feet up and down behind her. "Come on, you know you liked that one."

Blake walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge of it. "Believe it or not, I didn't, much like all of your other puns." As she reached for her scroll, which was resting on a bedside table, blonde hair dropped in front of her face as Yang hung the top half of her body off her bed. "Hi. Do you mind? I would like to have my scroll."

"Oh, sorry." Yang reached over to the table, grabbed the scroll, then handed it to Blake. "There ya go."

"Thank you." Blake took the scroll from Yang's hands and checked the time. _"It's pretty late."_ She looked back up from her school, only to see Yang's lilac eyes staring back at her. "Do you need something?"

"Just one thing." The blonde swung forward and planted a very quick kiss on Blake's lips. "Thank you." She then swung back, smiled, and pulled herself back up onto her bed.

"You could have just asked," Blake called to the bed above her as she set her scroll back down on the table and grabbed a book from underneath her bed, then leaned against the wall behind the head of her bed and opened her book. "I wouldn't have said no."

Once again, Yang's head appeared at Blake's side as the blonde hung off her bed. "Oh," Yang began as her eyes drifted to the ground. "Speaking of asking things, do you think we could tell people about… 'us'?"

Blake sighed and closed her book, but kept her fingers in between the pages in order to not lose her spot in the novel. "Haven't we already talked about this? I told you – I'm just not ready yet."

"Well, the thing is, Ruby knows already."

"How did that happen?"

Yang shrugged, well, she shrugged as good as she could while upside down, anyway. "She told me earlier. According to her, everyone in the school knows. If you still want to keep it a secret, I get that, but it might not do us any good at this point if Ruby's telling the truth."

After thinking about it for a minute, Blake made a decision. "Alright. If everyone knows, I see no harm in letting it be known 'officially'. Besides," The faunus looked at Yang and smiled lovingly. "I know it would make you happy."

Yang's eyes went wide with excitement. "Really?!"

"Yes, really."

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Yang pulled herself back up onto her bed and slipped under the covers. _"Tomorrow can't get here soon enough."_ The blonde then stared at the ceiling and smiled to herself. "Goodnight, Blake."

Blake opened her book back up and started to read. "Goodnight, Yang."

The dorm then fell silent, the only sound being the occasional finger sliding across paper as Blake turned the pages in her book. But even that eventually stopped as the faunus drifted off to sleep, leaving the dorm dead quiet, aside from the rhythmic breathing of the four sleeping members of team RWBY.

When suddenly... four became three.

* * *

 **Chapter two is here! And it's here waaaay faster than I thought it would be. Thanks again for the follows/favorites, you guys. Didn't expect this story to get that kind of attention, especially this quickly, but uh... yeah, haha.**

 **Anyway, I hope to see y'all in chapter three!**

 **:D**


	3. Ruby's New Friend

The first thing that Ruby noticed was how cold it was. Wherever she was, it was _freezing_. She slowly opened her eyes in an attempt to figure out where exactly she was and was greeted with a vast canvas of white. She wrapped her arms around herself and took a step forward, only to hear a soft "crunch" come from underneath her foot. As she held her foot up and examined it, soft, white powder fell from her sole. She grabbed a handful of the substance and noticed that it was extremely cold and started to melt in her hand.

" _Is this… snow?"_

Wait, why was she barefoot? And was she wearing her _pajamas_? Why was she out in the middle of a snow-covered field? Question after question flew through her mind, only for more questions to take their place. As she stood, unmoving, a cold, biting wind began to blow through the area and made Ruby colder than she already was. The wind made it hard to keep her eyes open, but for a second, she could swear that she saw something familiar in the distance. It was a small flutter of white above the ground, about the height of a person.

" _No way… was that-"_

Ruby no longer thought about what the image _could_ have been because she could now see it clearly. Far in the distance, was a snow-white cloak. As the wind blew, the cloak flew to the side, revealing the underside of it to be bright red. Ruby reached out a hand and opened her mouth, silently calling out to the cloak as the frigid air quickly dried out her throat.

"… _Mom?"_

The cloak then suddenly fell to the ground as if the person inside it was completely out of energy and collapsed. As the person struggled to move, dozens of Beowolves started to appear out of a nearby treeline which Ruby hadn't noticed until now. The young girl quickly realized what they were doing.

" _Mom."_

The creatures advanced towards the person and began to circle them. Within seconds, the Grimm had completely surrounded the area around the cloaked figure. Snarling, howling and barking, the Beowolves started to close in on their target. Once they were within ten feet of the person, they lunged.

"Mom!"

* * *

Ruby bolted upright, panting, shaking, and she was covered in sweat and tears. After a few deep breaths, she slowly brought a trembling hand up to her face and wiped away her tears and several beads of sweat on her forehead. Once her breathing returned to normal, she took one more deep breath and closed her eyes, then breathed out slowly through her nose. _"Get a hold of yourself, Ruby. It was just a dream."_

The brunette then checked the time on her scroll, squinting as the light from the screen temporarily blinded her tired eyes. _"Four-thirty. I don't want to wake Yang up this early."_ Carefully and quietly, Ruby climbed down from her bed and sneaked across the room to the door that led into the hallway. She grabbed the doorknob and slowly turned it, flinching every time it made the smallest click. When the door finally unlatched, Ruby opened it until it was just big enough for her small frame, then slipped through and shut it.

Ruby roamed the halls of Beacon with no set destination in mind. The only thing she wanted was a clear head, which wasn't easy with the scenes of her nightmare playing on repeat in her mind. As she turned down yet another hallway, she caught sight of a flight of stairs that stopped just before a large set of glass doors, which led outside to one of Beacon's many balconies. _"Some fresh air might do the trick."_

The huntress trudged her way up the stairs and with every step closer to the doors, her feet felt heavier. She couldn't help but remember the dream she had just awoken from. She managed to wake up before the Beowolves reached their target, but it didn't matter. She knew how that story ended. After all, it wasn't the first time she had dreamed of that scene. It was a recurring nightmare she had started having a couple years back. Normally, she talked it out with Yang and she felt better, but Yang was asleep and with no idea what time she had gone to bed, Ruby didn't want to disturb her.

She eventually reached the top of the stairs and grabbed a hold of two large, brass handles and pushed the doors open. She was immediately hit with a blast of cold wind, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She stepped through the doorway, closed the doors, and walked to the edge of the balcony. The cold air did take some getting used to, but she grew accustomed to it rather quickly. Although, she did shiver slightly as she placed her hands on the cold, stone railing that surrounded the edge of the balcony.

As she breathed out, she could see her warm breath form into mist in the cool night air. "I should have brought a jacket."

"Well, it's a good thing you've got me then, huh," called a voice from behind her.

Ruby quickly spun around, only to see her sister standing in the balcony's doorway with a blanket under her arm, a warm smile, and an even warmer coffee cup full of what appeared to be hot chocolate. "Yang? What are you doing up?"

The blonde shrugged and started to make her way towards Ruby. "My 'big sister sense' was tingling." Once Yang closed the gap between herself and Ruby, she set the cup of hot chocolate down on the railing and unfolded the blanket she had brought with her, then threw it around Ruby's shoulders. As she handed Ruby the cup of cocoa she asked, "So, what are _you_ doing up? And why are you out here?"

The younger sister's gaze trailed downwards until she was staring at her feet. "I… I had that dream again. The one about Mom." Tears started to form in her eyes again, but she quickly shook them away and turned her attention to the night sky. "I wish she was still here. I know I was young when she died, but I can still remember stuff about her. Like, how she would always make us cookies when we got home from school, or how she would read us those awesome stories about good versus evil when she tucked us into bed. I miss her."

Yang pulled the blanket tighter around Ruby's shoulders, then threw her arm over it and pulled herself closer. "I know. I miss her, too."

The pair stood there, comfortable in each other's embrace and looked out over the darkened landscape that surrounded Beacon Academy, with only a small number of street lamps illuminating the path to the school. The cold air had created a light mist that had now settled over the lamps, which made the etched stone walkway and the surrounding area look hauntingly beautiful.

"Thanks," Ruby began as she took a sip of the drink that Yang had given her, "for checking on me."

Yang smiled and held Ruby tighter. "What are big sisters for? I'll always be here for you. You know that, right?" The blonde then asked for permission to have a drink of the cocoa Ruby had by slowly wrapping her hand around the base of the cup. Ruby happily granted her permission. Yang took a small drink, smacked her lips, then handed the cup back to Ruby.

"Yeah, I know." As another gust of cold wind blew through, Ruby took another sip of her drink, then pulled out her scroll. "Oh, remember how I said I downloaded that app you told me about?"

The older sister nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

Ruby looked sheepishly at the cup in her hand. "Well, I talked to someone last night. It wasn't for very long, but it happened." She waited for Yang to respond, but she heard nothing but silence. As she looked up, she figured out why, and she knew what was coming, quickly setting her drink down on the railing of the balcony in preparation.

Yang was beaming. The blonde pulled her sister into a bear hug and the younger of the two could swear that her spine was going to snap. "I'm so happy for you!" Yang began to sway back and forth while she had Ruby in her crushing embrace, asking questions while she did so. "What did you talk about? What's their name? Are you dating? Tell me everything!"

Ruby managed to pry herself loose from Yang's death grip and gasped for breath. Through some very ragged breathing, she managed to choke out, "H-How… can I… answer... when... you're choking me… to death!?" The brunette hunched over and placed her hands on her knees until her breathing became more regular.

"Sorry about that," Yang said apologetically as she pulled the blanket around Ruby's shoulder higher. "I guess I got carried away. I'm just really happy for you." As Ruby caught her breath, the blonde rubbed her back lovingly. "But that doesn't mean I don't want my questions answered."

"Right." Ruby stood up and grabbed the edges of the blanket around her, then pulled it tighter around herself. "First off, we didn't talk much. Second, I don't know their name. And no, we're aren't dating. I barely know them."

"Well, I'm still happy that you talked to someone." Yang grabbed the cup that Ruby had placed on the railing and took a sip from it before asking, "So, did you at least have a good time talking to them?" The blonde then stretched out her hand with the cocoa in it and waited for Ruby to take it.

"Actually, I did. They seemed nice." Ruby took the cup from her sister and drank it as a shiver went up her spine when another cold gust of wind blew across the balcony. "I figured out how to save them as a contact in the app, so we can talk again if we want." As the wind started to pick up more, Ruby pulled the blanket around her and started to walk towards the doorway into the school. "It's getting pretty cold out here. If you want to grill me some more about this stuff, can you do it inside?"

"Aw, come on. I wouldn't call this _grilling_ you. I'm just asking you a few questions. If you really don't want to answer, you don't have to." Yang walked between Ruby and the door and opened it, then stepped aside and motioned for her sister to walk inside. "Go ahead. You've got your hands full with that blanket and the cup."

The brunette smiled as she walked into the school and dropped the blanket off her shoulders once she crossed the threshold. "Thanks, sis." She set her cup down on a nearby banister and started to fold the blanket up. As she finished folding it, the balcony doors clicked shut, drawing her attention to Yang. "So, is there anything else you want to ask me about?"

Yang clicked her tongue and tapped her chin with an index finger. "Hmm, I don't think so." Suddenly one of Yang's hands formed into a fist and she lightly tapped it in the palm of her other hand. "Oh, there is one thing. How come you don't know their name?"

Ruby tucked the now folded blanket under her arm and grabbed her drink, then started to descend down the staircase with Yang in tow. "I didn't ask. They didn't ask for my name either. We just kinda… talked. There wasn't much to talk about, though. Apparently, we went to bed around the same time. When I told them I was going to sleep, they said they were going to do the same thing. But I have them saved in the app, so I'll just ask what their name is the next time we talk."

Yang's fingers trailed down the banister at the side of the staircase while she followed Ruby back to the dorm. "So, you _are_ going to talk to them again?"

"Well, yeah, that's the plan." Once Ruby was only a few steps from the bottom of the staircase, she jumped, skipping the last few steps in the process. Once her feet hit the floor, she turned around to face her sister. "So, how was your night?"

"You should be careful jumping like that when you have a hot drink in your hand." Yang slowly walked down the stairs, much less enthusiastically than her sister did. The fact that she had gone to bed late and woke up incredibly early was beginning to show. An enormous yawn escaped her mouth as she reached the bottom of the staircase. She was tempted to take the blanket from Ruby and go to sleep right there on the floor. "But, to answer your question, it was pretty great. You should have seen Velvet and Coco. They were the life of the party, until it came to the actual dancing. Coco can dress as fancy as she wants, but that girl can _not_ dance."

Ruby giggled at the declaration. "I never would have guessed that."

"Yeah, me either."

The duo then started to make their way from the staircase to the dorm, and once they were about halfway there, Ruby hooked an arm around one of Yang's and rested her head on her shoulder. "Thanks again for checking on me. And for the hot chocolate."

Yang smiled and patted the top of Ruby's head. "You don't have to thank me. I know that you would do the same thing for me." The blonde breathed deeply and laid her head on top of Ruby's, then slowly closed her eyelids, letting the younger of the two act as her eyes as they walked.

"You know, you never did tell me how you found me." Yang opened her mouth to speak, but Ruby beat her to the punch. "And before you say it, no, 'big sister sense' is not an acceptable answer."

The blonde chuckled. "I heard you get up and when I saw you leave the dorm I sprang into action. I threw on a jacket and followed you." A proud smile tugged at the corners of Yang's mouth. "You didn't even notice. I was just like a ninja in the night."

Ruby rolled her eyes in response. "Suuure you were," Ruby said _very_ sarcastically. "But where did you get the hot chocolate?"

"Oh, yeah, that." Yang raised her head and opened her eyes, then stepped in front of Ruby and started walking backward towards the dorm. "Well, we have some of those packets of that instant hot chocolate powder in the dorm. I grabbed a few of those, then I washed out a cup that I assumed was yours, since it was on the table by your bed and I know it wasn't Weiss', then I warmed up the water in the bathroom. It was pretty easy with my semblance." Yang then placed her hands in the small of her back and turned around. "It's a good thing you decided to just walk in a straight line for a while, or else I might not have found you."

"Wait." Ruby stopped in the middle of the hallway and glared at her sister. "You said you used packets of instant hot chocolate?"

"Yeah, why?"

Ruby's hand that wasn't currently holding anything balled into a fist. "Yang, those were mine. I had them hidden!"

The elder sister scoffed. "Yeah, well, you didn't do a very good job of hiding them. I've known where they were for weeks now. I'd bet money that Weiss and Blake know where they are, too. Besides, I made it for _you_ , so you shouldn't be upset."

She was right and Ruby knew it. There was no reason to get worked up over something as trivial as this. The lack of sleep and the nightmare was more than she wanted to deal with tonight. She simply did not have the energy to argue with Yang, especially when it was an argument she knew she was in the wrong about. "You're right, I'm sorry."

Once the dorm came into view, Yang walked up to the door and opened it for Ruby, then gestured inside the room as she had on the balcony. "Come on, let's go to bed."

* * *

When Ruby woke the next day, she was the only person in the dorm room. She rose in her bed and stared into the center of the room with tired eyes. A beam of sunlight was shining through the window between the sets of bunk beds and illuminated several specks of dust floating through the air, while a strong gust of wind caused the latches on the window to rattle, waking Ruby up more. _"Man, it must be pretty windy outside."_

Groggily, Ruby pulled up her scroll and checked the time. _"Is it that late already? I'm glad we don't have classes today."_ The huntress stretched her arms above her head and craned her neck to the side, then groaned and threw her head back down onto her pillow. _"I guess I should get out of bed"_

Ruby sat back up, jumped off her bed and shivered as her feet hit the floor. Even though the floor was carpeted, she could still feel a chill as she walked across it to get to the bathroom. She reached out to open the bathroom door, but, suddenly, another gust of wind rattled the window, this time blowing it open. "I guess someone forgot to latch it right."

Ruby walked over to close the flapping window, but was taken aback by the sight on the other side of it.

" _Whoa..."_

While it wasn't much, there was a very faint layer of white building upon the surrounding land and there was more coming down. A small flurry of snow blew into team RWBY's dorm, which broke Ruby out of the somewhat trance-like state she was in. She closed the window, but kept staring out of it. _"This. Is. Awesome!"_

The sound of her scroll ringing caused Ruby to look away from the scenic landscape and check her alerts. _"Oh, a text from Yang."_ She tapped a small rectangle that had Yang's name on it and it brought up a long list of messages from her. _"She's at the cafeteria, huh? In that case..."_

R: **Bring me some breakfast when you come back, please?**

Before Ruby could set her scroll down, Yang replied.

 _ **Sure thing, sis. I'll be back in a bit.**_

Ruby set her scroll down, but her eyes were drawn to the new app adorning her home screen. She picked the device back up and tapped the small square, which opened Beacon Chat. Once the app's home screen had loaded, Ruby checked her messages. Sure enough, her entire conversation with the person from the previous night was there. As she re-read the last few messages, she typed out a new one.

R: **Hey there. Good morning.**

The brunette set her scroll down on a table, grabbed a new set of clothes, then started to walk towards the bathroom. As she stepped into the bathroom, another shiver ran up her spine, the cold, tile floor catching her by surprise. She quickly changed out of her pajamas and into the other set of clothes, then walked out of the bathroom. _"I hope I didn't message that person too early. This is our day off, after all. What if they were still sleeping?"_

Her question was quickly answered as she noticed her scroll ring and light up. She walked over, picked up her scroll, and opened her newly received message. All fear she had of the stranger being asleep was quickly dashed once she read the message.

 _ **Good morning to you, as well.**_

Ruby quickly typed out a reply as the sounds of her clicking keyboard filled the dorm room. _"I'm glad I didn't wake them up."_ Satisfied with her response, she hit the send button and jumped back up onto her bed and started to wait for Yang to get back.

R: **So, how's your day going?**

So far, her day was great. At least, it was better than yesterday. It was snowing outside, Yang was bringing her breakfast, and she had started a conversation with her new friend. Ruby rolled over in her bed, propped her head up in her arms, and stared out the window while she waited for a reply. _"I wonder if it'll snow enough to build a snowman? Or, even better, we could have a snowball fight!"_ Ruby's thoughts were cut short as her scroll rang.

 _ **It's going quite well, so far. I trust your day has been good?**_

Ruby hummed happily to herself as she texted her new friend back. Every time she typed a word, she nonchalantly kicked a foot behind her.

R: **So far, so good! It got a lot better when I figured out it was snowing. I mean, it's not like it was bad before, but you get the idea.**

The sound of the dorm's door opening caught Ruby's attention. She sat up in her bed and spun around, a smile on her face. "Hey, Yang. You got back a lot quicker than I thou- Blake?"

Blake stepped into the dorm, a small glass of milk in her hand and a book tucked under her arm. "Oh, good morning, Ruby." The faunus then walked over to her bed, set her milk down on a table next to her, and pulled out the book. Before opening it, she looked to her leader. "So, how long have you been awake?"

"Not long," Ruby said with a yawn and slight raspiness in her voice. "And just where have you been all morning?"

Blake leaned into the wall behind her, groaning slightly as her back pressed onto the hard surface. "I was in the library for a while." The faunus then pointed to the glass of milk on her bedside table. "Then, I went to the cafeteria to get that."

Ruby didn't hear a word. She was busy reading the message she had gotten on Beacon Chat.

 _ **The snow is quite beautiful. If it keeps up, I'm sure the leader of my team will devise some ridiculous activity for us to do outside at some point.**_

Ruby smiled at the thought, considering she had a similar idea just moments earlier. As she started to type another message, she faintly heard someone calling her name. It was then that she realized Blake had been talking to her. Her head snapped to the faunus across the room as she chuckled nervously. "Sorry, Blake. I was a little distracted."

Blake looked at the scroll in Ruby's hands and stared at the girl with an upturned eyebrow. "What are you doing, anyway?"

"Well, if you really want to know," Ruby began, "I'm talking to someone on Beacon Chat. Yang told me about it last night, so I downloaded it and met somebody." As she answered her teammate's question, she finished her message and sent it.

R: **That sounds like fun. What team are you on, anyway?**

Blake's attention then became directed at the open book in her lap. "Oh, right. I think Yang mentioned something about that last night after the dance."

"I sure did," called a voice from the hallway. The door opened and blonde hair appeared around the edges as Yang stepped through the doorway. "Are you talking to them right now?" The brawler hopped up onto Ruby's bed and handed her a small plate covered in aluminum foil. "Here's you some breakfast, by the way."

The leader hungrily took the plate from her sister and tore off the foil. Beneath it was a plate loaded with two fluffy pancakes covered in syrup, two eggs, and several strips of bacon. "Thanks, sis. I was starting to get pretty hungry."

"Yeah, I figured you would be." Yang dug a hand into her pockets and pulled out a fork wrapped in clear, thin plastic and handed it to Ruby. "Here, you might want this for those pancakes. You know Weiss would kill you if you got syrup on anything except your food."

"Good point. Thanks." Ruby grabbed the utensil, but before she could take a bite of her food, her scroll rang again. "Speaking of Weiss, do you know where she is? I haven't seen her."

"No idea. If I know the Ice Queen, she's probably tucked away somewhere quiet to study."

"Yeah, you're probably right." As Ruby took a bite of her pancakes, she looked at the message she had just received.

 _ **If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not say.**_

As she stared at her scroll, Ruby suddenly felt someone pushing against her face, and quickly realized it was her sister. "So, you _are_ talking to them right now. Whatcha talking about?"

Ruby shrugged. "Not much, really. Besides, isn't being this close an invasion of privacy?" Ruby stuffed another bite of food in her mouth and quickly typed a response.

R: **Is there a reason why?**

"Alright, alright, fair enough." The blonde jumped off the bed and hit the ground with a loud thud. "I need to go talk to professor Goodwitch about some stuff anyway." As Yang walked towards the door, she turned to her girlfriend. "Hey, do you want to come with me?"

"Sure." The black-haired girl closed her book and gracefully threw her legs over the side of the bed as she sat up.

Before they stepped into the hallway, Yang called up to her sister. "Ruby? Do you want to come to?"

"No," said the scythe-wielder as another text appeared on her screen, "I think I'm gonna hang back here for a while."

"Okay, then. Suit yourself." The blonde waved a hand behind her as she and Blake left the dorm and shut the door behind them.

 _ **Well, it's nothing personal, I just don't know you that well. Are you comfortable telling me which team you're on?**_

Ruby thought about the question, and the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She couldn't really blame them for not wanting to tell her their team name. After all, they had only talked once before. Could she really fault them for not wanting to divulge something personal like that?

R: **Okay, I guess you have a point.**

Before Ruby could set her scroll back down, it rang again.

 _ **I'm sorry about this, but I'm afraid I have to cut this conversation short. There are a few things I need to take care of.**_

There was no way she could deny it; Ruby was disappointed. She was actually warming up to this stranger. Even though this was only the second time they had talked, she couldn't shake a certain feeling of… familiarity with how they talked. She quickly brushed the feelings away long enough to send one last message.

R: **Oh, I understand. Talk to you later, then.**

Ruby set her scroll down, then started to eat her food in a less-than-elegant manner since she was the only one in the dorm. However, as she was about halfway through her breakfast, something occurred to her and she internally scolded herself.

" _Crap… I didn't ask for their name."_

* * *

 **Hey, everybody. Chapter three, comin' at ya! Hope y'all like it!**

 **:D**


	4. Names

It had been quite a while since the halls of Beacon Academy were as quiet as they were right now. The slowly falling snow outside had drawn the attention of many of the students in the school, Ruby Rose being among them.

Ruby had her nose pressed firmly against the window in her team's dorm that overlooked a large portion of Beacon's courtyard – a courtyard currently covered in a thick blanket of snow. Her eyes dashed across several parts of the area, observing the sheer amount of snow that had fallen just within the past few hours. As she pressed her nose harder into the window, two small, clear spots appeared where warm air was pushed out through her nostrils, which accompanied two other similar spots being made by her warm hands, which were also pressed to the glass.

" _It's so pretty outside!"_ The young leader was in awe of the winter wonderland in front of her. The impulse to jump out of the window and land in a huge pile of snow that had accumulated just beneath her was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Just before she gave into the urge, she heard the familiar click of the door to her dorm opening.

As the door opened, Yang walked through. She had a brown, paper bag under each arm and a plastic bag in her mouth. Once she was past the door, she gently kicked it closed with her ankle, dropped the bags under her arms into the floor, and pulled the bag out of her mouth. "Hey, sis. What are you doin'?"

Ruby pulled herself away from the window and sat down on Weiss' bed, then let her legs dangle below her and swung them back and forth. "Oh, nothing. Just admiring the view." Ruby then took notice of the bags by her sister and tilted her head questioningly. "What's in the bags?"

Yang grinned as she bent down and picked one of them up. "Something that you will probably like." She made sure that she was a fair distance away from Ruby, then opened the bag and let her sister peer inside at its contents.

Excitement and joy spread across the young girl's face as she leaped off the bed and ran toward her sister, arms outstretched, reaching for the bag. "You brought me cookies!" However, just before she had the bag of sweets in her grasp, it was yanked out of reach by Yang, which caused Ruby to fall face first onto the floor. "Why did you pull them away like that," she grumbled.

"Because," Yang said as she walked to her bed and started to place the bags on it, "I know you, and you would eat all of them in one sitting and make yourself sick. And while I'm fine with you learning a lesson, I also know that you probably want to play in the snow today. I'm not gonna watch you sit around here and complain about how you missed playing outside because you got sick off all this sugar." Once she was finished setting the bags on her mattress, she let out a sigh of satisfaction and turned around to face Ruby. "So, you can have some later, just not right now."

"Fine." Ruby twisted herself into a comfortable position on her stomach, then crossed her arms under her chin and puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "But I don't see why I can't have a couple right now."

"You'll go overboard like you always do. If I wasn't here to watch you would you save any for the rest of us?"

Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it as her eyes fell to the floor. "Alright, fair point." She then rolled onto her back, placed her arms behind her head, and crossed her legs, leaving the one on top to freely bounce up and down. Slowly, she bent her neck so that she was facing behind her, seeing her sister upside down. "Oh, do you know where Weiss and Blake are?"

The blonde shrugged. "Not really. Blake said something about going into town for a few things and I think Weiss went with her, but I don't know where they were going specifically." Yang then started to empty the contents of her bags, one by one, onto her bed. After guarding the bag of cookies against Ruby's ravenous hunger for sweets, she began to organize the items she had brought.

Seeing Yang pull out all of these things piques Ruby's interest and the young huntress stood up, walked to her sister, then stood on her tiptoes to take in everything Yang had pulled out. It was all sweets, and not just cookies. Apparently. Yang was hiding two cakes in the other bags she had brought with her. Ruby's mouth started to water at the sight, but a thought appeared in her mouth – one that turned into a question. "Hey, sis, where did you get all this stuff?"

"I raided the cafeteria," Yang replied nonchalantly. "It was stuff left over from yesterday, so they said that if no on took it, they would just end up throwing it away." The sound of crinkling paper was heard as Yang began to ball up the paper bags into a small, compact ball and throw it into a trash can on the other side of the room. "I figured we could make, like, a special day out of it, or something."

Suddenly, the dorm's door opened and Blake and Weiss stepped through. The latter of the two raised an eyebrow curiously after seeing the food on Yang's bed. "What are you two up to?"

Blake quickly joined in Weiss' questioning as the scent of chocolate hit her nose. "Did we miss something?"

Yang sighed and "Uh, surprise, I guess. I brought this stuff from the cafeteria. I thought we could eat it as a team, or something like it. Make something special out of it, y'know?" The brawler grabbed one of the cakes and held it in front of her torso, presenting it to the other members of team RWBY. "See? We could have a picnic or something."

Weiss crossed her arms and stared at the blonde as a dumbfounded expression spread across her face. "A picnic in the middle of winter? That doesn't seem like a good idea." The heiress walked toward Yang and gently pressed a finger into a clear, plastic container that was covering the cake. "Not to mention, these are nothing but sugar. That isn't exactly fitting food for a picnic."

Yang rolled her eyes and set the cake back down onto her bed, then turned back to her teammates, slightly disheartened. "Well, I don't know what you want me to do about it. I just thought it would be something fun to do. I'm sorry that I wanted us to have a good time, _princess,_ " she angrily huffed as she crossed her arms and turned her nose up at the shorter girl.

The ivory-haired girl placed a hand on her hip and snapped her fingers to draw Yang's attention back to her. "Relax. I didn't say it was a bad idea, I just said it wasn't a particularly good one."

"Please, tell me the difference," Yang flatly replied.

"Well, it was a good plan, but it was poorly executed. While we can't have a picnic outside, we could easily have a makeshift one here in the dorm, given that we could acquire actual food and not just desserts." Weiss then started to walk towards the entryway of the dorm, opened the door, and motioned for Yang to walk into the hallway. "Come on, I'll go to the cafeteria with you so we can get some _real_ food."

"Really?"

"Yes, really," Weiss groaned. "Now hurry before I change my mind."

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." Yang walked briskly across the dorm room, giving Blake a quick kiss on the cheek as she passed by, then stopped once she was at Weiss' side. "Let's go."

Weiss nodded, then gestured towards the hallway. "After you."

As Yang walked out of the room, Weiss followed her, grabbing the doorknob as she stepped over the threshold between the dorm and the hall. Before shutting the door, she spun on her heel and looked to Ruby. "We will be back in a little while. If you wouldn't mind setting up a spot for the food, that would be fantastic."

Ruby smiled and saluted the heiress. "Aye aye, ma'am. Leave it to me!"

The act caused Weiss to stare at her leader and blink a few times in disbelief. "Just… just clean up a little bit." She then closed the door, leaving Ruby and Blake alone in the dorm.

Once Weiss and Yang's footsteps faded away, Ruby's arms fell to her side, but only for a moment. She quickly placed her hands on her hips and looked at Blake, then to a cluttered space on the floor the middle of the dorm. "Okay, let's get busy."

* * *

The sound of footsteps on carpet-covered marble created a dull thud that carried through the hallway Weiss and Yang were currently walking in on their way to the cafeteria. The hall was fairly empty, as their classes had been canceled for the day on account of the snow and most of the students were either in their dorms, keeping themselves warm, or they were outside, taking advantage of having the day off. Weiss wished that she was doing either, since now she was growing increasingly irritated by a certain blonde teammate of hers.

"So, how is your new 'friend'?"

Weiss sighed as she pulled out her scroll, attempting to ignore Yang's question and get her to shut up, or tune her out. She didn't care which.

"Are you still talking to them?"

It wasn't working.

The heiress placed her scroll back in her pocket, walked slightly ahead, and stared at the floor, refusing to give Yang the satisfaction of seeing her annoyance. "Yes, I'm still talking to them. I had a short conversation with them this morning, but once Blake and I started to head back from town, I had to stop talking to them."

That was enough information for Yang to latch onto. "Awesome! I'm happy you're talking to _somebody_ that's not part of our team or team JNPR." She waited for Weiss to respond in some way, but when she didn't, she asked, "What's their name?"

Weiss closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "I don't know."

Yang swiftly jogged forward until she was at Weiss' side and gently grabbed the heiress' shoulder, then spun her around to face her. "What do you mean you don't know? Don't you wanna know who you're talking to? I would if I were you."

Weiss brushed Yang's hand off her and turned back to face the direction they had been walking. "I don't know because I haven't asked. They haven't asked for my name either, so I see no problem with it. Besides, I would rather not give my name out to someone I barely know. I already told them I wasn't comfortable with telling them which team I was on." She then started walking again, looking behind her as she did so. "Come on, I'm starting to get hungry."

The blonde shook her head and quickly followed after her. "So, what do you call each other?"

"Do we really have to talk about this," Weiss asked without looking behind her.

"Of course! I'm curious! Besides, I'm the one that told you about the app. You took my advice and met somebody, and now you want to keep me in the dark about it? Think again, Ice Queen." Yang then smirked and rubbed her hands together. "I want the juicy details!"

"There are no 'juicy details'. We've barely talked to each other. I just haven't found myself hating this person yet."

"You still didn't answer my question. If you don't know their name, what do you call them? What if you have to, like, address them directly? 'Them' isn't going to cut it. I bet they're thinking the same thing right now."

"I've already told you that I'm not comfortable telling them my name. So, I won't, whether you want me to, or not."

Yang crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Fine, but they are going to need something to know you by." After a few moments of silence, she clapped her hands together and grinned. "What about a nickname?"

"A… nickname?"

Yang nodded vigorously. "Yeah. That way, you would have something that they could call you, but it wouldn't be your real name! That would work for you, right?"

Would it work? The more Weiss thought about it, the more she realized that it didn't sound like such an awful idea. It was definitely one of the smarter things that had come out of the blonde's mouth lately. "Alright, say I do the whole 'nickname' thing. What would it even be?"

"Hmm, it would have to be something simple and vague, so they couldn't tell who you really are." Yang stroked her chin thoughtfully, then snapped her fingers. "What about just 'W'?"

"That sounds stupid."

"Okaaaay..." Yang took another thoughtful pose until another idea popped into her mind. "Oh, what's your favorite color?"

"Blue, I guess. Why?"

"Well, why don't you just have them call you Blue? That's pretty anonymous."

"That's… actually not a bad suggestion." The heiress pulled out her scroll as she pondered the nickname. _"I suppose that there are far worse things to be known by."_ She opened Beacon Chat and messaged the stranger a simple "hello", then put her scroll away and continued moving toward the cafeteria. "There, I've messaged them. Once they reply, I'll give them the nickname. Are you happy now?"

"Yup!"

The pair turned left down another hallway, and as they took a few steps in the new direction, Weiss' scroll rang, catching the two girl's attention. As she pulled it out, Yang hovered over her shoulder, wanting to get a clear view of the screen. Weiss glared at the blonde. "Do you mind? I would like for this conversation to be somewhat private."

"Ugh, fine."

Once she determined that Yang was an appropriate distance away from her, she opened the message.

 _ **Hey, what's up?**_

Weiss began to type a reply, taking short breaks between words to make sure that Yang was keeping to herself and not trying to catch a glimpse of the messages between the two.

W: **Nothing, really, but I had some free time and decided to message you, since I had to stop talking to you so abruptly this morning.**

As she pressed send, she put her scroll away and looked back at her teammate, who quickly looked away as soon as her eyes landed on her. "… Why do you look so guilty?"

"I'm not guilty, I just didn't want you to jump all over me for eavesdropping." Yang stepped in front of Weiss and waved down the hallway. "Besides, we don't need to worry about this anyway. We're almost to the cafeteria. Get a move on, princess."

Slowly, Weiss trailed after the taller girl, but was somewhat distracted as her scroll had rang, and she was in the process of reading another message that she had received.

 _ **Oh, don't worry about that. I totally understood. Actually, it's not the best time for me right now, honestly. Do you think I could message you back later?**_

Weiss started to text her response, not paying attention to where she was going.

W: **Of course, that's perfectly fine. However, I just want to let you know that I have something to tell you. This might seem a bit… random, but if you wish, you may call me Blue, as I'm not very comfortable giving out my name. That way, you have something to address me by.**

As she finished her message, she bumped into the back of Yang, causing the brawler to turn around. "Hey, what are you doing back there? Watch where you're going."

"Sorry, I should have been paying more attention. I was messaging that person back."

Suddenly, Yang didn't mind that Weiss had bumped into her as much as before. "Oh, what are the two of you talking about, huh? Anything good? Tell me it's something good!"

The heiress scoffed and pushed passed her. "I'll have you know that we aren't talking about anything out of the ordinary. I told them the nickname, and they haven't responded yet. That is all."

The entrance to the cafeteria was now in view and Yang quickened her speed in order to keep pace with Weiss. "Well, that's boring."

"I'm sorry that you find my conversation less than riveting. As you know, I live to please you, Yang," Weiss said sarcastically.

Yang softly jabbed her in the arm and snickered. "Hey, don't get snarky with me, missy."

The pair walked through a large, white archway that led into the cafeteria, then started to make their way towards the back of the room to a long counter filled with several trays of food. There were various types of meats, cheeses, and bread for sandwiches that Weiss was looking at. After a few moments, she turned to Yang. "Alright, you get enough things for us to make sandwiches and I'll go get us some drinks. Deal?"

The blonde nodded stiffly in confirmation. "Deal."

As Weiss walked to the left side of the room, she set her sights on a long cooler that stretched along the wall. It that had an assortment of beverages to choose from. As she approached it, her scroll went off again. She pulled it out and examined it as she opened the cooler, the cold air from inside drying out her eyes and making her blink several times in order to focus on the message she just received.

 _ **Oh, that's a cool idea! In that case, you can call me… Red! Yeah, Red is a good nickname! But I really need to go, I'm pretty busy. I'll talk to you later, okay, Blue?**_

Weiss smiled internally as she read the message. _"Red, huh? Alright then."_

W: **Very well. Another time, Red.**

She placed her scroll back in her pocket and reached into the cooler to grab a few drinks, only to drop them back into it when someone unexpectedly tapped her on the shoulder. She angrily spun around, only to see Yang smiling nervously. "Uh, sorry. That's my bad. I was just trying to get your attention."

"Be more careful, you brute. I could have dropped them onto the floor."

"I said I was sorry."

Weiss groaned and picked the drinks bag up, then grabbed a paper bag out of a nearby basket full of them, placed the drinks inside, and started to leave the cafeteria. "Let's just get back to the dorm."

"Okay. I'll be right behind you."

* * *

"Aaaaand, done. Do you think Weiss will be happy with this?"

"I don't see why not. You've done a pretty good job of cleaning up. I'm honestly surprised, Ruby."

"That's good to hear." Ruby jumped up onto her bed and let her legs hang off the side while she wiped a few beads of sweat off her forehead. She had just finished cleaning a spot for their "picnic" and it took more out of her than she thought it would. "I hope they get back soon. I'm getting pretty hungry."

Blake let out a short, quiet moan in response as she turned a page in the book she was reading. After a few minutes passed, a soft thud was heard as Blake closed the book and slid it underneath her bed. _"Another one down."_ As her hand came out from under her bed, she was clutching another book in it. As she leaned against the wall behind her bed, she got the feeling someone was watching her. She looked to the other side of the room and quickly realized she was right. Ruby was staring at her with wide eyes. "Um… is something wrong?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nah, but… didn't you only start reading that book yesterday?"

"Yes."

"And you're already finished with it?"

"Yes."

The younger girl threw her hands in the air. "But it's only been, like, twenty-four hours!"

The faunus shrugged as she opened the new book. "And? I enjoy reading. It's not the first time I've read a book that fast."

"You are something else, Belladonna."

In an attempt to get the subject of conversation off her love of reading, Blake asked, "So, is there anything new with you and your friend? Have you talked to them any more?"

"A little," Ruby said as she jumped off her bed and stretched. "But not very much. We just told each other nicknames to call ourselves so we didn't have to say our real names."

"Why's that?"

"They didn't want to tell their name or team to a stranger. I can't really blame them." Ruby then started to walk towards the bathroom as she continued to talk to Blake. "So, we came up with nicknames to call ourselves. They're 'Blue' and I'm 'Red'." It's cute, right?"

"Sure."

"It _is_ cute, just so you know." Ruby opened the bathroom door, stepped inside, then poked her head around the side before shutting the door. "I'll be out in a sec. Give me a shout if Weiss and Yang show up while I'm in here."

"Okay."

The door then closed, and the sound of running water could be heard on the other side of it. A few minutes passed and Ruby came back out of the bathroom, then walked to a closet in the corner of the room and pulled out a big, red blanket. _"Okay, now I can put this down."_ The blanket flapped through the air as Ruby unfolded it and laid it across the floor in preparation for the picnic. "Do you think this looks good, Blake?"

The faunus peered over the top of her book and nodded silently.

"Cool. Now, all we have to do is wait for the other two and every-"

Ruby was cut off as the door to that led from the hallway to the dorm room opened and Weiss and Yang made their way inside, bags in hand. Carefully, the pair set their bags down next to the blanket and took in just how clean Ruby had managed to make the area. "Wow, I'm impressed, Ruby."

"Thanks, Weiss. I just wanted everything to be good enough."

While Ruby and Weiss talked, Yang sauntered over to her girlfriend and propped herself up by placing her hand on the wall and leaning into it. "Hey there, hot stuff. Come here often?"

The question earned the blonde a smirk from Blake. "It depends on how good the company is. Sometimes there's this blonde that shows up. She's cute, but kind of annoying."

Yang placed a hand on her heart and placed an arm on her forehead. "Oh, my love, why must you hurt me so?"

Blake closed her book and scooted to the edge of her mattress. As she looked up at Yang, she asked, "So, what kind of food did you get?"

The blonde shrugged. "Mostly just some stuff for sandwiches. Buuuut..." She then walked to a small bag, picked it up, then handed it to Blake. "I got you a little something special."

"That's sweet of you." Blake opened the bag and a wide grin quickly spread across her face. "Tuna... Thank you, Yang."

"Don't mention it."

Suddenly, Ruby loudly cleared her throat in order to get the attention of everyone in the room. Once all eyes were on her, she took a commanding pose. "Members of team RWBY, eat well and drink plenty, for, in a mere two hours time, a great battle will take place!"

"A… battle?"

"That's right." Ruby smiled ominously. "After we eat," Her gaze narrowed and she looked into each of her teammate's eyes, one by one. "The great snowball fight of Beacon shall commence."

* * *

 **Chapter four! I know this one is a bit on the slower side, but I hope you all like it. Next chapter should be more fast-paced. Till next time!**

 **:D**


	5. Behind the Scenes

Sighs full of contentedness, groans of satisfaction, and the sounds of soft pats on clothed skin could be heard throughout the dorm of Team RWBY. Paper plates and empty glasses littered the area around the blanket the team was sitting on. Each girl glanced at the mess that had accumulated and shrugged, electing to resolve the issue at a later time.

A comfortable silence had filled the room – a silence Yang was the first to break. Her belly full of food, she rolled onto her side, rested her elbow on the floor, and propped her head up in her hand. "Man, that was great. I guess I was hungrier than I realized," she said as she toyed with a toothpick in her mouth. "I'm glad we did this. It was pretty nice. Thanks for helping me out with the food and stuff, Weiss."

"You're welcome." The heiress shook her head slightly to force a few stray hairs out of her face, then stretched her arms in front of her and groaned quietly in the back of her throat. "This was quite pleasant, wasn't it? It's nice to have a team activity that isn't training." Weiss then stood up and grabbed a few pieces of trash and threw them into a nearby trash can. "Well, I suppose we should clean up the dorm."

Suddenly, Ruby jumped up and posed with her hands on her hips and her chin held high in the air. "No time for that now, Weiss! We have a battle to go to!" The brunette rushed to the door and pointed a thumb towards the hallway. "Come on, Team RWBY! Let's go!"

"Ugh, I just want to lay here. Can't we do this later? I just ate a ton of food," Yang groused. The blonde then sat up slowly and poked at the blanket she was sitting on. "Besides, it's all warm and cozy in here. Do you really want to go outside for a snowball fight?" Yang's head turned to her side to see the faunus next to her. "What do you think, Blake? Snowball fight, yay or nay?"

Blake looked at Yang, then to Ruby, who currently had the beginnings of a pleading expression on her face, which meant it was only a few seconds away from her putting on her infamous puppy-dog eyes. The faunus accepted defeat before the fight even started. "I don't think it's a bad idea. It could be fun."

Yang gently flicked her girlfriend in the shoulder and glared at her playfully. "You traitor." Seeing that Blake had no interest in changing her mind, she turned to her ivory-haired teammate. "Alright, Weiss, it looks like it's down to you, now. What do you think?"

Weiss sighed as she dropped another piece of trash into a small, plastic bin. "Honestly, I'm not entirely opposed to the idea. Though, I do think it would be wise to clean the dorm up first. I don't think it would be very good to leave trash all over the floor. After all, if we _do_ go outside, the last thing I want to do is come back to a dirty dorm room. It would be a pretty big annoyance to have to clean afterward."

Ruby clapped her hands together and grinned. "Yes! After we clean, we FIGHT!"

* * *

"Okay, team, let me set a few ground rules." Ruby had lined her teammates up side to side, and was now pacing back and forth in front of them. "First rule: No weapons."

Weiss hung her head after hearing the rule, worried that she was going to have to sit through a ridiculous list of rules that didn't matter. "We didn't even bring our weapons, dolt."

"… Good point. Anyway, second rule: No leaving the battle grounds. If you do, you will be disqualified."

Yang nodded in agreement. "That sounds fair."

"And, rule three: The first team to fall down loses. You have five minutes to build your defenses. Once time's up, you can't build anymore and the fight will start, whether you're ready or not. Is everyone cool with that?"

The other three members of team RWBY glanced at each other, then directed their attention to their leader and nodded stiffly.

"Great. Weiss, you and I will be on one team. Blake, you and Yang will be the other." Ruby narrowed her gaze and slowly lifted and hand into the air. "Aaaand… BREAK!" She threw her hand down, grabbed one of Weiss' wrists, and sprinted away from Blake and Yang, leaving a trail of rose petals in her wake. "Come on, Weiss! We've got work to do!"

Once they were an appropriate distance away, Ruby stopped and Weiss pulled her arm out of her grasp. "You could have warned me. I don't appreciate being dragged along with you that quickly." Weiss straightened her clothes and made sure that her ponytail was still neat, then took notice of all the petals around the two of them. "Did you use your semblance?"

"… Maybe," Ruby said as she sheepishly looked to the snow-covered ground. "Sorry, I'm just really excited."

"It's alright, just try to be more considerate in the future." Weiss took in the area that surrounded them, then took a stance that Ruby wasn't quite familiar with. "Stand back, please."

The younger girl stepped backward as a puzzled look appeared on her face. "What are you doing?"

"Just watch." Weiss took a deep breath, closed her eyes and, after a few seconds had passed, a small glyph began to take shape between her and Ruby. Weiss breathed out sharply through her nose and her eyes shot open, then a large wall of snow tore through the air as it grew from the glyph.

Ruby walked over and placed a hand on the wall, then punched it, surprised by its durability. "Whoa, this thing is _solid_. How did you do that," she said while walking around the wall, inspecting it. "This is awesome!"

Weiss smiled, happy with the praise she was receiving. "I used my semblance to alter the snow. I pulled the snow from the ground and tripled its density once it was packed together." The heiress walked to the wall and rubbed her hand on it. "It won't hold up forever, but it should be more than sufficient for a simple snowball fight."

"Right. Speaking of which..." Ruby turned to her sister and was surprised to see what they had done.

It looked like Yang had somehow used her semblance to melt the snow that surrounded her and Blake all the way to the ground, forming a small hole that the pair was now building up. They took turns piling snow onto the sides of the "crater", and quickly noticed Ruby staring at them. Yang took a break from fortifying their shelter and put on a cheeky smile and waved. "Hey, sis! Nice wall you've got there!"

"Thanks! But this was all Weiss!" Ruby stared at her partner who smiled at her and nodded. Weiss opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off as Ruby's scroll began to ring. A devilish grinned was instantly on her face and she held up her scroll where Blake and Yang could see it. "Alright, you two. Time's up!"

Yang's eyes widened as she glanced to the scroll, then to their unfinished shelter, repeating the process several times. "B-But we're not done yet!"

"Well doesn't that suck? Prepare for attack!" Ruby quickly placed her scroll in her pocket and looked to Weiss. "You ready?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Good." Ruby balled up a snowball and readied a throw aimed at her sister. "Begin!" She hurled the snowball towards the blonde, who dodged it and quickly started to pack snow together in her hands. Ruby chuckled as she heard Yang's reaction. She was yelling at Blake to start making snowballs, while the faunus just laughed at how panicked she was. "Look at those two," Ruby said while turning to Weiss. "They have no chance against us when it comes to snowba- umph!"

A snowball had hit Ruby directly in the face, cutting her statement short. She wiped the white, fluffy substance from her face and looked back to her enemies. Yang was jumping up and down with a fist in the air. "How'd ya like that one, sis!? Pow, right in the kisser!"

"Oh, she's gonna pay for that one." Ruby balled up two snowballs, one in either hand, and motioned for Weiss to come next to her. "Weiss, can you make me a glyph?"

"Of course, but what kind do you need?" Before Ruby could answer, a snowball hit Weiss in the side of the head, causing her to stumble to the side a little. Upon regaining her footing, she glowered in the direction the snowball had come from. "Never mind. I know the perfect one." She pointed her fingers towards the black and yellow pair and a small, black glyph appeared in front of Ruby. "Throw them through that."

"Got it." Ruby then threw the snowballs through the glyph and was shocked to see the result. As they passed through, they picked up incredible speed, making them virtually impossible to dodge. They both hit Yang and made her stagger slightly. Ruby then raised a fist into the air and jumped, mimicking her sister's earlier actions. "How'd _you_ like that one, sis!?"

Yang wiped the snow off herself, bent down and began to ball up another snowball. She raised up, ammo in hand. "You're gonna pay for that you little, red-" Another snowball cut her off, this one hitting her in the face. She glared at Ruby, only to see her just as bewildered as she was annoyed. Ruby was looking to her left at a certain heiress, whose had an outstretched arm and a smirk on her face. _"You want some, too, Weiss? Have it your way."_ Yang scooped a large amount of snow, then motioned for Blake to do the same. "Help me out here, kitty cat."

As Blake and Yang took to their new attack plan, Ruby and Weiss hid behind the wall that the latter had created. The two girls stared into each other's eyes, until Ruby broke and started laughing, followed quickly by Weiss. "Man, Yang looked pretty angry," Ruby said through fits of laughter.

"She did, didn't she," Weiss replied, also doing so while laughing. "Her expression was priceless when she figured out that I was the one who threw the second one."

Ruby gently shoved the heiress' shoulder. "Hey, she wasn't the only one that was surprised. I didn't think you had it in you to just... clock her like that."

"Honestly, I didn't think I did either."

"Well, we'd better be ready for whatever they're planning over there. It sounds pretty quiet." Ruby poked her head around the edge of the wall and caught a glimpse of what her teammates were up to, only to bring her head back into the cover of the wall and look at Weiss, wide-eyed. "Um… We might have a problem."

Blake and Yang had sculpted their globs of powder into two, solid half-circles, then pressed them together and sealed it with another thin layer of snow on the outside. Hunched down in their foxhole, Blake turned to Yang and asked, "So, now what? Please tell me you're not going to just throw it really hard."

"Now," Yang began, "We throw it… really hard... _together._ "

Blake rolled her eyes and grabbed half of the monstrous snowball that she and Yang had created. "Whatever."

Meanwhile, Ruby and Weiss were hatching a plan of their own. They had a decent amount of snowballs stacked into a small pyramid shape and were still adding to it. One by one, they piled on more ammunition until the pile was about 3 feet tall. Ruby then looked at the snowballs and smiled. "Alright, do you think that's enough?"

"Probably." Weiss stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm impressed that you came up with this idea so quickly."

"I like to think that I'm pretty good at thinking on my feet." Ruby picked up one of the snowballs and gently tossed it back and forth between her hands. "I just hope this pays o-"

The sound of Ruby's voice was drowned out as Yang shouted. "I hope you're ready for this, you two!" The blond and her girlfriend picked up their massive snowball and aimed for the wall that Ruby and Weiss were currently hiding behind. "Catch!"

"Weiss, now!"

"Right!"

Weiss pulled up a solid blue glyph right behind the wall of snow while Ruby gathered up the pile of snowballs in her arms and readied herself. Yang and Blake hurled their snowball towards the wall. As it hit, it completely shattered the wall. Seeing the towering, snowy structure toppling over made Yang incredibly satisfied. "Hey, looks like we did it. I think we won."

Her happy expression quickly changed into one of distress as the haze of snow cleared, revealing Weiss' glyph and Ruby behind it, poised to attack. "Hey, Yang! _Catch this!"_ The previously blue glyph had now turned black. Ruby launched snowball after snowball through the glyph and laughed as Blake and Yang did their best to dodge them.

Blake dodged left, then right. She noticed one snowball coming straight for her and quickly used her semblance to dodge in midair to avoid it, only to see another one coming at her. With no time to react, she took a direct hit and came tumbling down into the white, fluffy snow. Yang watched her fall in slow motion, unable to make it to her in time to catch her. However, with her attention on Blake, she failed to notice the onslaught of snowballs coming for her.

Dozens of them hit her, making her practically invisible to Weiss and Ruby. The glyphs in front of them dissipated as Ruby threw the last snowball. Breathless, Ruby looked to her partner and smiled. "I think we got 'em."

Weiss looked at the traces of snow left behind from the fight and nodded smugly. "Seems that way, doesn't it?"

However, all thought they had of victory was completely blown away as a bright, yellow light burned its way through the dense, snowy fog. _"Uh oh,"_ Ruby thought. She knew what that was. That hadn't beaten Yang, they had just made her angrier. "… Weiss?"

The heiress felt a chill go up her spine as the light got brighter. "I know..."

As Yang bumped her fists together, the haze cleared and Ruby and Weiss could see her standing there, eyes red and sneering. "Oops, I didn't catch it," The blonde said through gritted teeth. "Looks like I'll have to make another one." She balled up two large handfuls of snow and aimed at her sister. "If you catch this, throw it back." Trails of water came off the snowball as it flew through the air due to the immense heat Yang was putting out.

Seeing that Ruby was Yang's target, Weiss quickly stepped in front of the young leader and braced herself for the hit. It came much quicker than she thought it would, knocking the air out of her lungs and causing her to stumble backward – right into Ruby. The two girls shrieked as Weiss fell into her partner, bringing them both to the ground.

The sight immediately made Yang cheer, her eyes now back to normal. "Yes! Two birds with one stone!" After reveling in her victory for a few moments, she remembered that Blake had taken a direct hit. Her eyes darted around the courtyard until she saw a bow sticking up out of the snow. _"Looks like she got buried."_ She then rushed over and began to dig the faunus out of the snow.

On the other side of the courtyard, Weiss was struggling to regain clarity, as her world was spinning. She slowly opened her eyes and was greeted with Ruby's eyes staring right back at her. They couldn't have been more than a couple inches apart, the brunette's silver eyes scanning the deep, blue ones beneath them. "Weiss, are you okay?"

The heiress blinked several times. "H-Huh?" For some reason unknown to her, words were failing her as she gazed into the two pools of silver above her. She had never been this close to Ruby before. If she had, she didn't remember it, and she certainly hadn't noticed Ruby's eyes before. The only word she could think of to describe them was "beautiful".

"Weiss? Can you hear me?"

Still delirious from the impact of Yang's attack, Weiss didn't register that anyone was speaking to her. She instead focused on the rest of Ruby's face. Her jawline, her lips, her eyes, Ruby was _gorgeous_. How had she not noticed this before? Did she simply not pay attention to the appearance of her friends? Suddenly, her unanswered questions disappeared as she felt something on her cheek. After trying her best to regain some form of composure, she realized that it was Ruby's hand.

"Weiss, seriously, say something."

Feeling a warmth start to spread across her face, Weiss sat up quickly and shook her head. "Sorry, I was a bit shaken up from Yang's attack. I didn't worry you, did I?"

Ruby smiled warmly and leaned backward to sit on her feet. "A little bit. That looked like a pretty bad hit. Yang should have been more careful."

Weiss waved a hand dismissively. "It's alright. If I couldn't take a beating I wouldn't be at this school. Besides, we pummeled her pretty well, in my opinion. I suppose we had it coming." Then, Weiss remembered that she fell _into_ the brunette in front of her. "Wait a minute. I fell, then hit you. Did you fall as well?"

"Y-Yeah… It looks like we lost."

"I'm sorry." Weiss' head hung downward as her eyes fell to her lap. "I guess I should have been more careful, too. It's my fault that we lost."

Ruby then stood up and stretched her hand toward Weiss. "Don't worry about that. All that matters is that we had fun." As she helped her partner to her feet, she brushed some snow off the older girl's shoulders. "You had fun, right?"

"Indeed, I did."

"Hey," Yang called from across the courtyard, her girlfriend thrown over her shoulder. "Blake is feeling pretty cold after this whole thing, so we're gonna meet you guys back in the dorm, 'kay?" As the blonde began to make her way towards the school, she stopped short and waved to Weiss. "Oh, and sorry about the snowball. I packed it a little harder than I meant to. Sorry, Weiss."

"Don't worry about it," the heiress replied. "Just be more careful next time."

"You got it." Yang held up a hand in parting as she walked into the school. "Later!"

Once Blake and Yang were out of sight, Weiss started to rub the center of her chest where Yang's snowball had hit. _"I get the feeling that I will be very sore tomorrow."_ As she massaged the sore spot, she noticed Ruby staring at her, a concerned look on her face. Weiss ceased her actions and bobbed her head towards the school. "I think I'm going to go catch on some reading in the library. I need to brush up on a few things before our next test. Would you like to come?"

Ruby pulled her cloak around herself and turned her back to Weiss. "Nah, I think I'm gonna take a walk for now, take in the sights, y'know?" She started to walk away from Weiss, waving her hand behind her. "I'll see ya in a bit. If you see Blake and Yang before I do, tell them not to wait up."

"Alright, just… be careful. If you stay out here too long, you'll catch a cold."

"Relax, I'll be fine." As she flipped her hood up to cover her head, she smiled, though Weiss couldn't see it. "Thanks for worrying about me. I'll see ya later." With her goodbye said, Ruby walked off toward another area of the courtyard with no set destination in mind, while Weiss made her way back into the school, shuddering slightly as her body adjusted to the warmth inside.

As she walked through the halls of Beacon on her way to the library, she became flustered as her thoughts wandered back to the image of Ruby standing over her. _"What came over me back there?"_ However, she wasn't able to dwell on the thoughts for long, as the sound of her scrolls ringing caught her attention. When she looked at the screen, there was a notification at the top of her screen, signaling that she had a new message.

 _ **Hey there. Got a second to talk?**_

After weighing her options between talking to her friend or focusing all of her attention on getting to the library, then studying, she elected to do the former.

W: **Sure. Is there something you would like to talk about?**

Weiss clutched her scroll in her hand once her message had been sent, then let her arm fall to her side as she turned left, down another hallway. She had grown quite fond of the peaceful walks to the library she had started taking. It gave her time to clear her mind and focus on whatever had been bugging her, whether it be schoolwork, her family, or even a certain loud-mouthed blonde teammate of hers. The quiet chatter of the people throughout the school had a calming effect on her. It gave her a sense of security, though she couldn't explain why. Although, the sense of peace she had was somewhat disturbed every time her scroll went off. Though she didn't mind. As she turned down yet another hall, her scroll rang.

 _ **Not really, I've just got some free time and wondered if you wanted to have a chat about something. Not really anything particular, though. Maybe we could get to know each other better? Ask some questions, or something.**_

The question scratched at the back of Weiss' mind. After she decided on an answer, she typed it into a message and sent it without a second thought.

W: **That sounds interesting. Ask away.**

* * *

"So, are you feeling better," Yang asked as she pushed her back into the wall behind Blake's bed. "Are you feeling any warmer?"

Blake gently stroked Yang's arms, which were currently wrapped around her while she sat in the blonde's lap, and breathed deeply, taking in her girlfriend's scent. "I am. Thank you." The faunus leaned further into the taller girl and closed her eyes as a smile crept onto her lips. "You're always able to warm me up."

Yang chuckled and started to pet Blake's head, right between her ears. "So, is there anything you want to do?"

"I can think of a few things," Blake whispered, a seductive undertone on each word.

The blonde grinned and moved her hands to Blake's shoulders and started to slowly rub them. "Oh, yeah? What did you have in mind?"

"Well," Blake started, "Do you think we could..."

"Yeah?"

"… Talk?"

"U-Um..." Yang took her hands off Blake's shoulders and wrapped them back around her stomach. "Sure. Talking. Yep. That's a thing. That I want to do. With you. Talk..."

Hearing the slight sadness in Yang's voice, Blake started to lightly poke her arm. "Disappointed?"

"No, it's fine." Yang smiled and hugged the girl in her arms tighter. "I'm just happy to spend time with you. I would love to talk. What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, have you talked to Weiss about her new 'friend'?"

"Not much. I know that they gave each other nicknames, though."

Blake laughed. "I know. Ruby mentioned something about it earlier. Do you think they know?"

"Psh," Yang scoffed, "Those two are freakin' blind. It's gonna take them ages to figure out." The brawler craned her neck to the side, popping it, then placed her chin on the top of Blake's head. "I can't believe I convinced them to both download that thing. I owe Ren and Fox big time for helping me make it."

"You should be careful. They might not be as clueless as you think."

Yang yawned as she said, "I _am_ being careful, but you have to play your part, too. They don't know that you know about it, do they?"

Shaking her head, Blake let out a yawn of her own. "No. As far as Ruby knows, the only way I know that it exists is because you mentioned it to me after they had downloaded it."

"Good, let's try to keep it that way. I'm tired of them letting their loneliness show when they think that no one is watching. I've seen those two dance around each other for the last two years, completely oblivious to how they feel about each other - how literally _everyone_ knows how they feel about each other. And, since the won't do anything about it, I will. I know that they would never admit that they like each other, even to themselves, but if they like some one else, then find out who it really was, they couldn't argue with it."

"You're quite the evil genius, Miss Xiao Long."

"And you're my partner in crime, Miss Belladonna." Yang's eyelids grew heavier as each word escaped her mouth. "Y'know what? I'm feeling like it's nap time. You in?"

"I suppose that there are worse ways to spend my time." Blake nuzzled her head into the crook of Yang's neck and closed her eyes. "I'll see you when we wake up."

Yang followed suit and shut her eyes, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yeah. Nighty night, kitty cat."

* * *

 **Hey there, guys. To those of you that were wondering if Yang and Blake would figure it out... surprise! Betcha didn't see that coming!**

 **Anyway, hope y'all liked the chapter. See ya in the next one!**

 **P.S. Sorry for any grammatical mistakes in this chapter. No time to proofread it.**

 **:D**


	6. Closer

Ruby's thumbs were betraying her. The cold air outside had chilled her to the bone, which she hadn't noticed until she needed to actually use them for something. As they worked their way across the keyboard on her scroll, the hooded girl quickly realized how cold she was getting and decided to turn around and head back towards the school after sending a message to her friend, who she was currently having a conversation with.

R: **So, what do you like to do in your free time?**

After making sure her message had sent successfully, she placed her scroll in her pocket, along with her hands, and started to trudge her way through a thick layer of snow that was covering the walkway around Beacon. As she walked, she took in her surroundings.

The trees in the area had tiny icicles hanging off each and every leaf and several branches. It almost looked like all the foliage around her was frozen in time. Honestly, she would have thought it was, if not for the creaking of the ice breaking away whenever a strong gust of wind swept through. Besides the trees, Ruby also noticed a very thin layer of ice under the snow. Somehow, it had gotten so cold the previous night, that nearly every drop of moisture had frozen, which would have made walking around carelessly rather hazardous. However, Ruby knew that should she fall, she had to go through at least eight inches of snow, which gave her more than enough to cushion her fall.

As Ruby's path brought her closer to the school, her scroll rang. Begrudgingly, she pulled out her scroll and stared at it, her warm breath fogging up the screen due to the frigid air.

 _ **Well, I wouldn't consider myself to have much 'free time'. Whenever I'm not in class or sleeping, I like to spend my time studying. You can never be too prepared for an education, in my opinion. What about yourself?**_

" _Studying all the time, huh? That sounds like something Weiss would do,"_ Ruby thought. She slowly typed out a response to the message, but had significant trouble with her freezing fingers. It was almost as if they wouldn't listen to her, like they were getting back at her for making them so cold. Eventually, she did manage to type out a message, sent it, then continued on her path towards Beacon's entrance.

R: **Eh, it depends on what kind of mood I'm in. I really do whatever I feel like doing. Sometimes I'll read, sometimes I'll go for a walk, I even study every now and then, but that's my teammate's fault. She's really beaten the whole 'studying' thing into my head.**

A sigh of relief escaped from Ruby's mouth as she stepped over the threshold that separated Beacon's entrance hall from the outdoors. She stomped her boots on a large carpet a few times, then started to make her way towards her team's dorm. As she stepped further into the school, her scroll chimed again. She quickly pulled it out and opened the message she had just received.

 _ **Your teammate sounds like someone I would get along with. I wish I could get my teammate to study more. She's made some progress, but I wish she would understand how important it is. I just want her to be a good leader.**_

As she read the message, she smirked, seeing that her friend had let some info slip about their team.

R: **So, you're not the leader of your team, huh? That narrows a few things down.**

Before Ruby could place her scroll back in her pocket, another message popped up on its screen.

 _ **That… was an accident. I don't mean to be rude, but please don't use that as a topic of conversation. I would rather leave my team out of this. Actually, they don't even know that I'm using this app, aside from one of them, and I would like to keep it that way.**_

Ruby chuckled as she read the message. She could only imagine how flustered the accident must have made the other person. While she held back her laughter, she texted her reply, then slid her scroll into her pocket and continued to make her way to her dorm.

R: **Chill out, haha. It's not like I can tell anybody. I don't even know your real name, remember? To me, you're just Blue. I couldn't out you if I wanted to. I guess I can't really blame you, though.**

As her body warmed up, she lowered her hood and loosened the fabric around her neck. She then made a sharp turn down a nearby hall and quickly pulled her scroll back out. She typed another message before putting it back into her pocket.

R: **Hey, I'm gonna have to talk to you later, okay?**

Once Ruby walked further down the hallway, her destination came into view. As she grew closer to it, her scroll rang one last time. She hastily pulled it out and read the new message.

 _ **That's fine. I was just about to say the same thing. I'll talk to you another time, then.**_

After she had sent a message in confirmation, she once again put her scroll away and walked closer to her dorm. As she reached out to turn the handle, she heard someone call out to her.

"Hey, Ruby."

The scythe-wielder spun around and quickly found the source of the voice. Weiss was walking up to her from the other end of the hall, two books under her arm and a notebook in her hand. "Oh, hey, Weiss. Did you just get done studying? You're normally gone longer than that."

"What do you mean? It's been _hours_. It's almost ten." Weiss then took notice of how cold Ruby's body looked, even though it had warmed up significantly since she had been inside the school. "Did you… Have you been outside this entire time?"

Ruby recoiled at the question, almost shrinking into herself. "I...well, uh… I mean… maybe?"

Weiss' current emotion was hanging somewhere in between annoyed and angry, though she couldn't determine which one she felt more. "Ruby. Rose. I specifically told you not to stay outside too long! What if you get sick, hm? Do you expect the rest of the team to dote on you until you start feeling better?"

With each word, the heiress' voice grew louder, causing Ruby to cower. Realizing that she had said that louder than she meant to, Weiss hung her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you," she said apologetically. "I just don't want you to get sick. Are you feeling alright? You don't feel like you're getting ill, do you?"

Ruby shrugged. "Not really, but I've only been inside for a little bit. I really don't think I would get sick after being outside for that long. I mean, sure it's cold out there and stuff, but I was pretty bundled u- achoo!" When she sneezed a long string of snot began to trail out her nose. "Uh… maybe it will pass?"

Sighing, Weiss pulled a handkerchief out of one of her pockets and handed it to Ruby. _"She's hopeless."_ "Well, let's hope you're right about that." Ruby made quick use of the piece of cloth, then started to hand it back to Weiss, which the heiress quickly stopped. "Um… you can keep it. You might need it again." She then placed a hand on the handle of the door and opened it. "Come on, let's go inside."

As they stepped into the dorm, the first thing they noticed were their two teammates sleeping on Blake's bed. "Look at them. Aren't they cute," Ruby said, her eyes full of admiration. "I'm really happy that they can be themselves now. They've been so much happier since they, y'know, 'announced' it."

Weiss nodded in agreement. "Yes, they do. Though, I'm not quite sure why they kept it a secret in the first place. It's not like anyone would judge them for it. Just look at Coco and Velvet. No one batted an eye when they started dating. They should have known better." Weiss started to put away her books into the bottom drawer of her dresser, then turned her attention towards the top drawer and proceeded to pull out a nightgown and a brush. "I think I'm going to take a shower before bed. Do you need in the bathroom before that?"

Ruby shook her head and jumped onto her bed. "Nope. The bathroom's all yours."

Upon hearing Ruby's answer, the white-haired girl stepped into the bathroom. The first thing she did after shutting the door was turn on the hot water, which caused the room to fill with steam rather quickly. For some reason, this was part of her routine. The steam provided her comfort, somehow. It could have been because she was so used to the cold air in Atlas, that having thick, warm, muggy air was almost pleasant to her. She wasn't sure, but she didn't mind.

After disrobing, she held her hand under the water of the shower to gauge the temperature, then made a small adjustment by turning the knob slightly to the left, causing more cold water to flow out than before. Once it was at the heiress' desired temperature, she stepped inside, letting out a content groan as the warm water cascaded down her body. After soaking in the water, she grabbed a bottle of shampoo and squeezed a generous amount into the palm of her hand, shuddering as the cool liquid made contact with her warm hand. She gingerly applied the substance to her hair, the contrast of warm and cold making her smile. It was something that she took joy in, though she didn't know why. Much like the steam-filled room, she didn't question why she liked it, she just _did_. That was enough for her.

Once she had finished washing herself, she stepped out of the shower and began to towel herself dry. After she made sure that she was completely dry, save her hair, she pulled her nightgown over her head, then walked to the sink and started to brush her still-damp hair. As the bristles of the brush went through her hair, they hit a particularly tough knot that had formed. Making sure she didn't rip the knot out, Weiss carefully brushed around it, then took a comb that was laying on the sink and removed it. Satisfied with her cleanliness and neatness, she exited the bathroom, a huge billow of steam following her.

Hearing the bathroom door open, Ruby looked up from her bed and immediately noticed the amount of steam. "One of these days you're gonna melt in there."

"Very funny," Weiss flatly replied. "I'm no more likely to melt in there then you are from turning into a giant pile of sugar based off all those sweets you like to eat," she said as she put her dirty clothes in a hamper at the bottom of the closet. "Besides, I like the steam."

"I wasn't saying there was anything wrong with it. I'm just always surprised by how much of that stuff follows you out of the bathroom whenever you get out of the shower." Ruby then jumped off her bed and began to walking towards the bathroom. "Well, if you're done in there, I guess I'm gonna take my turn. I'll be out in a few."

"Alright." As she heard the bathroom door shut, Weiss rolled her eyes. _"Honestly, that steam would probably do her some good. I know that she could use it if she managed to get herself sick. Not to mention that she would have a better immune system if she didn't inhale sugar like it was oxygen."_ After she had placed her clothes in the hamper, she grabbed her scroll off a nearby table that she had placed it on before getting in the shower. Well, she would have, if it was there. _"What in the… Where is it?"_ She looked around the room, then checked her clothes. After not finding it, that only left one pace for it to be. She walked towards the bathroom and gently rapped her knuckles on the wood. "Ruby, I think I left my scroll in there. Do you see it?"

"Uh, hang on a second… Yeah, it's in here. It's on the counter by the sink."

" _On the sink… damn it."_ Weiss groaned internally at the information. _"_ Do you think you could hand it to me?"

"Well, I would, but I'm kinda soaked. I'm in the shower. Having my wet hands all over it probably isn't the best idea," came Ruby's muffled reply. Before Weiss could say anything, Ruby said something that made Weiss' face turn bright red. "But you can come in here and get it, if you want."

"A-Are you sure, Ruby? You're in the shower. I don't want to inconvenience you, or anything."

Hearing the anxiousness in Weiss' voice made Ruby giggle. "Are you nervous about being in the same room with someone that's taking a shower, _Ice Queen_?"

That was it. That was all she needed. That name, oh, how she loathed it. She had grown used to Yang using it, but if it came from anyone else, it bugged her to no end. And now, with Ruby using it to tease her, was basically the brunette signing her own death warrant. Weiss flung open the door. "Listen here, you. I will not be-" … and immediately regretted it.

"Weiss!"

"Ruby!"

"Weiss!" Ruby was standing outside of the shower, dripping wet, with only a towel covering her. Well… _half_ of her.

Weiss quickly shut the door and leaned into it. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know that you would be like… like...like _that_! I'm sorry!"

Silence. Weiss hated silence. Ruby did too, for that matter, but not to the extent of her partner. However, what Weiss hated more than silence, was _awkward_ silence, which is what was bearing down on the two of them at this moment. But, fortunately, she heard her leader's voice from inside the bathroom before too much time had passed. "Weiss… a-are you out there?"

"Yes," she said weakly.

"Did you see anything?"

"No, I looked away as fast as I could."

After Weiss' words, the bathroom door slowly creaked open and Ruby's red face could be seen. "Okay then. You can… um, you can come get your scroll now."

Weiss pushed the door the rest of the way open, which revealed a towel-clad Ruby, completely covered this time. Avoiding eye contact with Ruby, Weiss' eyes scanned the countertop at the back of the bathroom until she saw her scroll. She walked over to it, picked it up, then walked briskly out of the bathroom, trying her best to hide her red face from her partner. "Thank you."

No sooner had Weiss set foot outside of the bathroom before she heard a "you're welcome" from Ruby, followed by the sound of the door shutting. Weiss walked to her bed, sat down, and stared at her scroll. Her mind was blank, except for the image that had been burned into her retinas moments ago. Weiss had got a glimpse of more than she said. While she hadn't seen much, she had seen some of Ruby's body. Aside from that, the only thing in her mind was jealousy. Even though she was two years younger than her, Ruby was more… _developed_ than her.

She was shaken from her thoughts as the bathroom door opened and Ruby stepped out, fully-clothed. She threw her clothes into the closet, then leaped onto her bed. "I think I'm gonna go ahead and go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, Weiss."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea. I think I'll do the same." Weiss then walked over to a light switch towards the front of the room, flipped it into the "off" position, then sleepily walked to her bed and slipped under the covers. After checking her scroll to make sure she had an alarm set that would prevent her from waking up late, she laid down and rolled onto her side."Goodnight, Ruby."

"Goodnight, Weiss."

Before long, the dorm was silent, the only sound being the soft breathing of the four members of team RWBY.

* * *

Ruby shot up out of bed, clutching her chest and breathing hard with a small amount of tears trailing down her cheeks. _"Again? Man, I wanted to actually sleep tonight."_ She blinked several times, trying to get her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. Once she could see somewhat clearly, she glanced to the other side of the room. _"Dang it. Yang's still asleep."_

Ruby quietly climbed down off her bed, careful to not wake the sleeping heiress beneath her. Once her feet touched the floor, she looked at her sister again, hoping that she hadn't seen her clearly in the dark and that she might be awake. Unfortunately, she wasn't. The blonde and her girlfriend were still bundled up together in Blake's bed. _"They must have been pretty tired."_ Deciding that it was far too cold outside to go out on the balcony again, Ruby went into the bathroom, walked to the toilet, pulled the seat down and sat on top of it. _"I'm tired of this nightmare."_

Time passed, and Ruby's thoughts wandered to memories of her mother. She closed her eyes and could almost see her. She could remember the last day she saw her clearly. Her and Yang were back at their house in Patch. Their father was busy teaching at Signal Academy, so Summer had proposed that they make homemade cookies. The two young sisters took to the plan with gusto, making sure they had everything they needed. Summer walked them through every step, taking great care to make sure they understood everything before moving on.

The longer Ruby thought about the scene, the clearer it became. The smell, the warmth, the joy of spending time together, she could feel it all. Eventually, the memory took its toll and broke down the emotional wall she had built. Tears streamed down her face and quiet sobs started to get caught in her throat. After a few minutes passed, the sound of someone knocking on the door could be heard. _"Oh, I bet that's Yang."_ Ruby cleaned up her face slightly, then answered the door. "Hey, sis, I didn't thi- Weiss?"

The white-haired girl looked at her with a worried expression. "Ruby, are you alright? I thought I heard someone crying."

Ruby waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, I'm fine. I just had to go to the bathroom."

Weiss then opened the door wider, stepped through, and dragged Ruby under the light. She stared at her face intently, her eyes lingering at the area around the bottom of her eyes. "Liar." She placed a hand on Ruby's cheek and gently wiped a thumb underneath her left eye. "You have been crying. Is something wrong?"

Pulling her head away from Weiss' hand, she shook her head. "Not really, I just had a bad dream. I can handle it. I'm a big girl," she said while softly jabbing her in the arm.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"Honestly, there's not much to talk about."

" _Judging by the fact that she was crying, I bet that there is. But, it seems like she doesn't want to talk about it. I'll leave her be."_ Weiss smiled lovingly, then pulled Ruby into an unexpected hug. "Very well. I'll see you in the morning. If you need something, just tell me. Goodnight." She released Ruby from the embrace and started to walk out of the bathroom and back to her bed.

After the shock of Weiss hugging her wore off, she grabbed her hand. "Wait."

"Yes?"

Ruby's eyes fell to the floor and her face turned a light shade of red. "I don't want you to feel like you have to say yes, so if you aren't okay with it tell me." Ruby started to play with her hands nervously as she forced the next few words to come out of her mouth. "Do you think I could sleep with you? It would only be for tonight. Normally I would ask Yang, but she's sleeping with Blake tonight."

Weiss' eyes went wide at the question, but she knew that Ruby wouldn't have asked if it wasn't serious. She knew that she wouldn't open up to her about whatever sort of dream she had, so maybe she could help her this way. "I guess there's no real harm in it. If you want to, that's fine."

A smile appeared on the brunette's face as she returned the hug Weiss had given her previously. "Thanks, Weiss. That means a lot."

"You're welcome. Don't ever feel bad about asking something like that if there's a reason for it. You're my best friend, Ruby. I wouldn't just say no if you needed me." She spun on her heel and started to walk towards her bed. "Let's go to bed. I'm already about to fall asleep standing here."

"Right."

The pair made their way to Weiss' bed and the older of the two got in first, scooted to the wall, then pat the empty portion of the bed. "Alright, get in."

Ruby carefully climbed into the bed and pulled the covers up to her neck. Once she was bundled to her satisfaction, she rolled onto her side and grinned. "Thanks again, Weiss."

"You're welcome, Ruby. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Ruby fell asleep faster than she had in a while. She was grateful for the kindness Weiss showed her. If she had been forced to sleep alone, she could have had the nightmare again, and she didn't want that. The feeling of waking up alone after such a traumatic experience was something she didn't take to kindly, but she found comfort in simply having someone lying next to her. And, while she didn't dream for the remainder of the night, she also didn't have her nightmare, and that was good enough.

* * *

 **Hey, guys. So, I actually think this chapter is the weakest out of the story so far. There's just something I can't put my finger on. Oh well, I guess I could just be over thinking it... whatever. See y'all in the next one.**

 **:D**


	7. Technical Difficulties

Roses. Weiss smelled Roses. The smell grew stronger the more awake she became. She craned her neck to one side and popped it in several places, then to the other side, repeating the process. This was what she suffered through every morning; the internal struggle to either open her eyes and get out of bed, or leave them closed and go back to sleep. Eventually, the former option won and she started to sit up, only to feel a weight on her chest, preventing her from doing so. _"What in the..."_ Weiss opened her eyes and looked down.

Resting right under the heiress'… _assets_ , was a dark red head of hair. Suddenly, the smell of roses made sense. The gears in Weiss' mind began to turn as she remembered the previous night's events. _"That's right. I told Ruby she could sleep with me last night."_ She stared at the sleeping girl blankly, unsure of what to do in the situation. _"I need to move, but I don't want to wake her up."_ Weiss took a deep breath and held it, then she slowly started to push Ruby's head to the side while she slid out from underneath her. At least, she would have, had the younger girl not thrown an arm around her waist.

Ruby grumbled something in her sleep that Weiss couldn't quite hear, although she thought that she heard the words 'sleepy' and 'cookies' come out of her mouth. _"Dolt."_ Carefully, she pried Ruby's arm off her and started to slide out from under her again. After about thirty seconds of struggle, she managed to free herself. _"Finally."_ She sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes as she yawned loudly. _"I wonder what time it is."_ She glanced around for her scroll, only to realize that it was on the table beside her bed, which meant that she would have to reach across Ruby to get it.

She placed one hand firmly on her mattress to support herself, then reached across the bed and Ruby to grab her scroll. Once it was in her hand, she started to lean back, only for something to catch her in the stomach and make her drop her scroll, then reel back in pain. She quickly realized what – _who -_ was at fault. A very sleepy-eyed Ruby was now sitting up and rubbing the top of her head. "Man, what was that?" Her eyes drifted to her right and she noticed Weiss clutching her stomach. After she pieced together what had happened, she immediately started apologizing. "Weiss, I'm really sorry! I didn't know you were there I just wanted to sit up! It was an accident, I promise!"

"It's fine," Weiss grunted. "I know it wasn't on purpose." The older girl reached a hand out and pointed toward the floor. "Will you hand me my scroll? I dropped it."

"Sure." The brunette scrambled to pick up the device and quickly handed it over. "Sorry again. It really was an accident." Weiss didn't acknowledge the apology, instead focusing her attention to her scroll, which only made Ruby feel worse. "Th-Thanks for letting me sleep with you last night."

"You're welcome."

" _Ouch, only two words and no more. She's not happy with me."_ Ruby fidgeted with her pajama top nervously as a way of coping with the lack of interaction between her and Weiss. "Um… are you mad at me?"

"No," Weiss said sharply.

" _That's a big ol' yes."_ The younger of the two tried to think of something, anything, to try and patch things up fast. "Is there some way I can make it up to you? For letting me sleep in your bed, that is. I really appreciate it."

Weiss let out a slow breath and set her scroll down, then locked eyes with the girl across from her. "Well, you could tell me what you were crying about last night. And before you say it, I know it wasn't 'nothing'. If it was, you wouldn't have been crying in the first place. If you don't want to talk about it I understand, but I am curious."

" _I guess there's no reason to_ not _tell her."_ Ruby took a breath and swallowed dryly. "I had a dream. Actually, make that a nightmare. I have it every now and then. It's always the same. It's about my mom, Summer."

Weiss' eyes widened when Ruby said that name. Summer. Summer Rose, to be exact. Ruby and Yang had mentioned her before, but only in passing. It always seemed like a rather touchy subject, so whenever her name came up, Weiss never questioned it. Really, the only thing she knew about her was that she was, in Yang's words, Super Mom; that, and the fact that she had died. Hearing that Ruby had a dream about her suddenly made Weiss regret asking about it in the first place, even if she was slightly annoyed at the girl. "I see… would you like to talk about it?"

"If you want to know I can tell you. Just think of it as repaying you for letting me sleep here last night." Ruby crossed her legs under the blanket and placed her hands in her lap. "Whenever I have that dream, it's always in some field somewhere, covered in snow. Then, I see my mom. She so far away, but it's like I have super vision or something, because everything is always so clear. When I see her, I try to call out to her, but it never happens. It's kinda like her name gets stuck in my throat. That's..." Ruby hung her head and her voice grew softer. "That's when the Beowolves show up."

Before Ruby could continue, she felt a hand on her shoulder, a hand that she quickly noticed belonged to a sympathetic white-haired heiress. "Ruby, stop. You don't have to keep going."

Ruby could feel tears start to form in the corners of her eyes, but she quickly shook them away. "Right. Y'know, no matter how many times I have that dream, I never know when I'm having it. But when I wake up I know instantly." Ruby reached over and hugged Weiss gently, then pulled back and smiled. "Thanks again, for sharing your bed. I really didn't want to sleep by myself last night."

"You're very welcome. If you have that dream again, don't hesitate to wake me up if I'm sleeping. I won't be mad at you for something like that."

"I'll keep that in mind." Ruby raised her arms over her head and leaned to one side, yawning as she did so. "Welp, I guess I'm gonna head into the bathroom and change into something that's not pajamas. I'll be out in a few."

"Alright. I'll be out here, I guess. If you wouldn't take more time than necessary, I would appreciate it. After all, I need to change as well." Weiss' attention then turned to her scroll.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Don't worry." Ruby got off Weiss' bed and made her way to the dorm's closet. She proceeded to pull out her signature outfit of a black and red corset and her skirt of the same colors. Clothes in hand, she turned and loosely saluted Weiss, then walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

With Ruby gone and nothing on her scroll catching her interest, Weiss' thoughts wandered to her anonymous friend. _"I wonder if they would be up..."_ She opened Beacon Chat and quickly typed a message before she could change her mind. Normally, she wasn't the one to start a conversation. She mostly waited for her friend to message her first, but she had nothing better to do at the moment.

W: **Hello. Good morning.**

Weiss set her scroll down in her lap and leaned her head onto the wall behind her as she waited for a reply. Before long, she heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. _"I bet she's taking a shower, that dunce. I asked her to be quick."_ She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. _"Well, no use in griping about it now. She will be in there for a while."_ Weiss laid back down and held her scroll above her face.

Suddenly, a gust of wind rattled the window of their dorm and startled her, causing her scroll to slip out of her fingers and land on her face. _"Son of a… ugh."_ Weiss wanted to be angry and to curse at someone, but she couldn't. It was no one's fault but her own, and she knew it. She would just have to stew in her own self-hate for a few minutes until it passed.

She angrily picked her scroll off her face and nearly dropped it again when it rang in her hand. Expecting a message, she quickly looked at her screen, only to be slightly disappointed. It was a message alright, but it was from the school, just like the Valentine's Day message a few days prior.

 _ **Students, don't forget that classes pick back up Monday. Enjoy the snow while you still can.**_

Weiss glanced at the message, then promptly deleted it. _"As if I didn't know that already."_ Even though the message didn't pass on any new information, it did serve a purpose. It reminded Weiss that she hadn't received a reply from her friend yet. It was strange. Normally they were rather quick to reply, but for some reason, they were taking a very long time. _"I hope I didn't wake them."_

Worried that she had disturbed their sleep in some way, Weiss quickly typed out an apology text and sent it.

W: **I'm sorry if you were sleeping. I just wanted to say that. I'll talk to you another time.**

Once her message had been sent, Weiss laid her scroll on the table next to her bed and rolled onto her side. As she laid there, her eyes began to close and her breathing slowed. _"I guess I'm still a little tired. I don't suppose there's anything wrong with going back to sleep until Ruby is done in the bathroom."_ Her mind became clear and she was teetering _just_ on the edge of unconsciousness, when the bathroom door opened and Ruby stepped out.

Ruby had a towel wrapped around her neck and small droplets of water were trailing off the ends of her hair. "Hey, hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. I just wanted to wash my hair. It felt… gross. Almost like it had something in it. I didn't realize it until I was in there already." She walked over to the closet she had got her outfit from and threw her pajamas into it, then faced Weiss. "I guess the bathroom is all yours now."

Weiss begrudgingly sat up, irritated that she had been so close to sleep, only to have it stripped from her when her partner came out of the bathroom. "Why didn't you just take a shower? It would make sense, as you already washed your hair."

"I just wanted to get out quick, so you could get in there and change," Ruby said while shrugging. "I mean, you asked me to hurry, so I did." The scythe-wielder then started to pat the pockets of her clothes. After a few seconds passed, she started to look around the dorm.

Seeing Ruby dart around the room looking for something piqued Weiss' interest. "Ruby?"

"Hm," Ruby muttered without ceasing her movements.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for my scroll." Ruby then looked on top of her bed. She didn't see it, but an idea popped into her head. Thinking that it could be tangled in her blankets, she yanked them off her bed and let out a sigh of relief when she heard a soft _thud_ on the carpeted floor. She quickly looked down and saw a small, white object between her feet. _"Found ya."_ She bent down and picked up the device, then turned it on. Well, she would have, except… "Aw, man. It's dead. I guess that's what I get for not charging it last night."

"Why didn't you," Weiss asked with a hint of annoyance. It wasn't aimed at Ruby, she was simply still mad at herself for dropping her scroll on her face. She quickly noticed that Ruby pick up on the tone of her question and softened her voice. "Relax, I'm not mad. I'm just… annoyed at myself."

Weiss could easily tell that the statement made Ruby feel better. "Oh, that's a relief. Anyway, what were you mad about?"

She could have told her that it was her own fault; that she was surprised by her scroll ringing and dropped it on herself, but she found that to be a little too embarrassing. "Nothing important. Don't worry about it."

Ruby fished a charger out from a drawer, plugged it into the wall, then started to charge her scroll, smiling as a bright green battery symbol appeared on its screen. "You sure? I mean, you told me not to worry about opening up and all that if I needed to. You can expect the same kind of thing from me."

"Trust me, it wasn't anything to worry about. It's nothing bad, just… embarrassing," the heiress groaned as she stretched, then got out of bed and made her way to the closet. "I appreciate the offer to talk, though." Weiss pulled out a set of clothes, then started toward the bathroom. "I'm going to change. When I get out, would you like to go get some breakfast?"

Ruby's stomach answered before she had a chance to, as it growled angrily. _"...That was louder than I would have liked."_ She crossed her arms over her stomach and chuckled nervously. "Yeah, that sounds great. I'm pretty hungry."

"Alright. We'll head out once I'm done in the bathroom. Deal?"

"Deal."

Once she was in the bathroom, Weiss shut the door and yawned as she started to get undressed. She slid her nightgown off and her hair stood on end as she exposed her skin to the cold air of the bathroom. Shivering slightly, she quickly got dressed in her normal white and blue attire and pulled her hair into its signature ponytail. She was always pleased with the hairstyle. She had been raised in a way that everything had to be done correctly. She had to be proper, calm, collected, respectful, and several other things she thought were a pain. She always looked at her ponytail as a form of defiance. Always off to the side and never in the middle.

After she was done with her hair, she finished up in the bathroom and walked out, only to see Ruby fidgeting with her scroll on her bed. The cloaked girl noticed her partner step out of the bathroom and jumped off her bed while she put her scroll in her pocket. "Hey, you ready to go?"

"Yes, I am." She walked over to her bedside table and grabbed her scroll, then slipped on her shoes and gestured towards the door. "After you."

"Thanks," Ruby said as she walked passed the heiress, still messing with her scroll.

The pair walked into the hall and started to walk to the cafeteria. As they walked, Weiss noticed that Ruby was still trying to do something with her scroll. A confused expression was on her face and she looked like she was getting angrier. "Is something wrong with your scroll?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I think so. I charged it since it was dead, but now it's spazzing out. I'm having trouble opening some stuff." Ruby let out a groan a frustration and put her scroll in her pocket after giving up. "Whatever, I'll figure it out later. I'm just ready to get some food."

"I see. Would you like me to take a look at it?"

"Nah, I think I can do it, I'll just figure it out after I've got some food in my stomach."

Weiss shrugged. "Alright, if you insist."

After they had walked in silence for a while, they turned down a hallway and saw two girls at the end of the hallway. One had long, black hair with a black bow placed on top, while the other had long, flowing, yellow hair. Weiss rolled her eyes as she saw the pair of girls growing closer to them. _"Oh, great. There's no way that they didn't see us sleeping together this morning. Here's hoping Yang manages to control herself."_

Blonde hair bounced around Yang's shoulders as she bounded up to her teammates. "Hey there, _lovebirds_."

Weiss didn't stop walking and groaned as she passed the blonde. _"I guess I hoped for too much."_ The white-haired scoffed as she passed her teammate and continued on her way to the cafeteria, not giving Yang a second glance.

Yang turned around and watched Weiss walk away, then turned back to her sister, her thumb stuck out in the heiress' direction. "What's her problem? She mad about something?"

Ruby crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "It probably has something to do with the fact that you called us _lovebirds_. I guess that means you saw us sleeping together?"

"Sure did," the blonde exclaimed, a smile quickly spreading across her face. "When me and Blake woke up that was one of the first things I noticed." Yang clapped her hands together and started jumping up and down, which confused Ruby. "So, give me the details! What happened?"

Ruby raised one of her eyebrows curiously at the question. "What do you mean? I had a nightmare, so I asked Weiss if I could sleep with her, since someone else was already in your bed," she said while making playful jabs with her elbow towards Blake."What did you _think_ happened?"

Yang started to panic. She thought that her plan had finally come together, albeit much quicker than she expected. Hearing that it hadn't made her try to think up a way to get rid of Ruby's suspicions. "O-Oh, nothing much, really. I was just wondering why the two of you were in bed together this morning, but I guess I got my answer. Sorry for teasing you two, but I couldn't help myself," the blonde said while ruffling Ruby's hair. "Hey, your hair's wet. Did you wash it?"

"Yeah. When I woke up this morning I ran my hands through it and it felt… I don't know, sticky? It was like there was something in it that I couldn't see." Ruby then started to pat down the wet areas that came up from Yang's hand. "I don't suppose that was your fault, was it?"

The elder sister responded with laughter as she pulled out her scroll. "No, it wasn't. But I know whose fault it is," she sang. She brought up her photo gallery and skimmed through several pictures before she found the one she was looking for. Once she had selected the right image, she presented it to Ruby. "Here, you might wanna take a gander."

Ruby took the scroll from Yang's hand and a deep blush immediately covered her face. _"Wha..."_ The picture was of her and Weiss from that morning. They were rather… _close_. Ruby had her arms wrapped around Weiss' waist and the heiress had her head positioned just above Ruby's. However, what really caught Ruby's attention was a small trail of drool coming out of Weiss' mouth… right onto her head. She hung her head and slowly handed Yang her scroll back. "That's, uh… yeah."

Yang waved the scroll back and forth in her hand. "Think I should go show it to Weiss? She might get a kick out of it." Ruby didn't answer, which Yang took as a 'yes'. "I'll be back in a sec, guys."

But before she could walk away, she felt a hand on her wrist. She followed the hand and the arm to whoever they belonged to. Blake's ears were twitching as she clasped Yang's wrist. "Yang, it's probably not the best time. I'm fairly certain Ruby was right in saying that you annoyed her. You might want to give her some time away from you. Besides, you know how she is whenever she has just woken up."

The brawler looked towards the hallway Weiss had walked down, then back to her girlfriend. "Oh, fine." She pulled her arm free from Blake's hand, then interlocked their fingers together. "I guess I'll leave you alone for now, sis. Sorry for teasing you guys."

Ruby nodded weakly. "Thanks, but I would appreciate if you apologized to Weiss, too." She then started to follow after Weiss. "I'll talk to you back at the dorm, okay? I'm gonna catch up with Weiss and get some breakfast."

Yang and Blake waved her away as they walked back to the dorm. "Alright, see ya later, Ruby."

* * *

" _That girl… I swear it's like she goes out of her way to annoy me as much as possi-"_

"Hey, Weiss!"

A shriek was heard as Weiss nearly dropped the tray of food she was carrying at the sudden outburst. She steadied herself and took a few slow, deep breaths. Once she had calmed down, she glared at the bubbly girl next to her. "Ruby, you nearly scared me half to death!" Weiss placed her tray down on a nearby table and pointed a finger at Ruby's nose. "Don't just walk up and shout at someone! We are training to be huntresses. I could have hurt you!"

"What? We're in a _school_. I don't think you would ever have to fight someone here unless we're in combat class."

Weiss sat down in front of her food and started to pull a fork and a spoon out of the napkin they had been wrapped in. "Be that as it may, I would appreciate you not shouting directly into my ear. I thought I was going to go deaf for a minute there."

Ruby sat across from Weiss and locked her fingers together, then placed her chin in the space that they made. "Sorry." Suddenly, Ruby's stomach growled, reminding her of why she had come to the cafeteria in the first place. "Hey, I'm gonna go get some food. I'll be back in a sec."

Weiss mumbled in confirmation as she scooped a bite of food on her fork. Ruby began to walk away and Weiss pulled out her scroll, its screen lighting up as she pushed the bright, yellow button at the bottom. She opened Beacon Chat, and was disappointed that she _still_ hadn't received a reply from Red. _"I hope I haven't done something to upset them..."_

She wasn't sure why she felt so upset about not receiving a message. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something about their conversations that she really enjoyed, she just didn't know what it was. Whenever they talked it felt like she had known this person for years. Their conversations were now much smoother than before, and while she didn't know their real name, she still thought about them as a close friend. The thought was driving her crazy.

She then placed her scroll on the table and started to take another bite of food, deciding that there was nothing she could do at the moment. For a few seconds, she forgot that there was a girl who planned to eat with her, until she heard a tray clatter onto the table, followed by Ruby sitting down in front of it. She happily pulled out a fork and plunged it into a pile of scrambled eggs, then took a bite and smiled at Weiss. "Ish yer food gud?"

"Please don't talk with your mouth full." Weiss had a plate of pancakes on her tray with a small amount of maple syrup drizzled over the top. "But yes, it's good. I'm not normally one for a sweet breakfast, but the syrup sounded good to me this morning," she replied as she cut a small bite.

Ruby swallowed her food before talking this time. "Nothing wrong with that! Sweet stuff is awesome no matter what time it is!" She took another bite and started to mess with her scroll again.

Weiss easily noticed the brunette's finger darting across the screen. "What are you doing? Have you still not fixed it?"

Ruby shook her head and swallowed her food so she could give Weiss a response that wasn't muffled by a full mouth. "Nope. It's nothing too serious, there are just a few apps I can't open. I can live without them if I have to, but there's one I would really like to have working." An exasperated sigh pushed past her lips as she placed her scroll back in her pocket. "I'll try to have Ren look at it later. He's pretty good with that kind of stuff."

"They just won't open?"

"Yeah, it's weird."

The rest of their meal was silent, the only sounds being their utensils scraping against their plates. They each took their last bites of food at the same time. Weiss stood up, straightened her skirt, then groaned as she stretched. "Are you done?"

Ruby leaned back in her seat and patted her stomach. "Yup. That was awesome."

Weiss walked over and held her hand towards the younger girl. "Then let's go back to the dorm. I would go by myself and let you… _recover_ after all the food you ate, but I would rather not be in the same room as your sister without you around."

Ruby tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What? How come?"

Weiss crossed her arms and scoffed. "Because after her little joke this morning, I'm sure she has more to tell. If I hear too many, I might just kill her. I need someone there to make sure I don't."

"Psh, Blake's there, so she would be fine."

"Oh, you're right. Goodbye." Weiss turned to walk away, smiling as she did so. Even though she hated it when Yang teased her, there was always something fun about doing it to Ruby. She never got angry or told her to stop – they had discussed it before. Ruby said that it just showed how comfortable Weiss was around her, so she didn't really find it bothersome. It took every ounce of strength she had to not laugh as she heard footsteps quickly approaching her.

"Wait, wait! I wanna come with you!"

"Then hurry up."

Ruby hastily ran to Weiss' side, then threw an arm around her shoulder. "Right, I'm here. Let's go."

The pair walked in silence to the dorm. Although Ruby did blush slightly when Weiss laid her head on top of her own as they walked, then shut her eyes, asking Ruby to be her eyes so they didn't run into anything. While the action caught Ruby off guard, she let it go. If Weiss was doing something like that, she must be seriously tired, or worried about something. Deciding to ask her about it later, she made their way to the dorm.

Eventually, they reached their destination. Ruby opened the door wide enough for her and Weiss to step through, as the heiress' head was still on hers. Realizing where she was, she quickly shot up and opened her eyes, only to see Yang grinning at the two of them. "Blake, look who it is. Beacon's newest couple."

Ruby looked at Weiss, then to Yang. "Oh, here we go."

* * *

 **How rude of Weiss and Ruby, leaving their trays on the table instead of putting them away. Tsk, tsk.**

 **Hope y'all liked the chapter. Sorry for the late-ish upload.**

 **Till next time!**

 **:D**


	8. Failure to Communicate

" _Blake, look who it is. Beacon's newest couple."_

As the words escaped her mouth, Yang cursed herself. Ruby had asked her to apologize to Weiss, not tease her further. The look of complete and utter anger on Weiss' face made her remember her sister's words and, swallowing her pride, Yang sighed and swung her legs off her bed, then hopped down to the floor. "Sorry, Weiss. That one just kinda… slipped out. I'm sorry for earlier, too. Ruby told me why the two of you were in bed together this morning. I shouldn't have said anything without knowing the whole story."

Weiss was shocked. The last thing she expected was for Yang to say sorry. She had apologized for things before, but never for a joke, especially a throw-away one-liner. It came as a surprise to the heiress."Yang… are you feeling okay?"

The blonde in question crossed her arms and narrowed her gaze. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"it's just," Weiss sighed and started to walk to her dresser. "It's just weird to hear you apologize for something like that, I guess. Why the change of heart?"

Yang opened her mouth and looked to Ruby, who only shook her head and placed her index finger over her lips. Seeing that her sister wished to keep her involvement secret, Yang had to think of another way to explain herself. "W-Well, can't a girl just admit that she was in the wrong?" The blonde then walked backward until she was next to Blake's bed and sat down on the edge of it. "I don't see anything suspicious about that? Do you, Blake?"

A muffled 'mm' was the only response that the faunus gave, refusing to look away from the book she currently had her face buried in.

"Y'know, you're not helping me out much here."

Blake's ears twitched beneath their bow. "Sorry," she softly spoke as she looked up from her book to face her girlfriend. "I wasn't paying attention. What's going on?"

Before Yang could say anything, Weiss quickly answered for her. "Nothing is going on. Yang apologized and I asked her if she was sick. Apparently, she can't tell when someone is joking, even though she jokes more than anyone else," the heiress said as she pulled a few books out of her dresser. "Thank you for saying sorry, Yang. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome." Yang glanced at Ruby, who smiled and shot up a quick thumbs up, then put it down just as fast to prevent Weiss from seeing it. Once the room grew relatively quiet after Yang's apology, the blonde leaned backward until the back of her head was laying on Blake's legs and closed her eyes. She breathed deeply, keeping herself on the edge of being awake or asleep.

On the other side of the room, Weiss and Ruby were in their respective beds. Ruby had her scroll out, still trying to fix the problems she was having with it, while Weiss was fighting the urge to pull out her scroll and check her messages, even though she hadn't heard it ring. She cautiously reached for it again, only to scold herself. _"It hasn't gone off, which means they haven't messaged you yet. Stop stressing over it."_ Weiss took a deep breath and opened one of the textbooks she had placed in front of her.

However, everyone's concentration was broken when an extremely excited shout came from atop Ruby's bed. The hooded girl was grinning ear to ear and bouncing up and down on her bed. Deciding that there was no chance of being able to concentrate, Weiss shut her textbook and poked the bottom of Ruby's bed. "Hey, what are you freaking out about? You're making an awful lot of racket."

Weiss reeled back as a wide-eyed Ruby was suddenly dangling in front of her. The young leader had hooked her feet to the other side of her mattress and hung her torso off the edge, and was now pointing at the bright screen of her scroll. "Look! There's going to be a meteor shower next week! They said it could be one of the biggest there's ever been in this area! We gotta go see it!"

Sure enough, she was right. As Weiss stared at the screen, she noticed a dark banner at the top of the screen with a scrolling message mentioning the event. "I see." Weiss pondered the idea for a few moments. She hadn't really seen a meteor shower before. She spent most of her time indoors back in Atlas, and whenever she had been outside lately, it was for a mission. Not exactly the optimum time to take in the sights. "I'm not entirely opposed to that idea. It could turn out to be a good time." Weiss cleared her throat and sat up straighter on her bed, then turned to face the other side of the room. "Blake, Yang, what do you two think of that?"

Yang sat up and stared at her sister. "Next week, huh? Could be fun, but what day is it exactly?"

Ruby looked back at her scroll before reading a long list of times that the meteors would be visible. "Um… let me see here..." Her finger glided across the screen as she read the different times. She then cleared her throat and began to quote the article. "The meteor shower will be able to be seen as early as late afternoon on Saturday. However, the best time to view the event would be Saturday night, between the hours of eight and eleven. It will be for one night only."

The elder sister's expression changed from one of curiosity to one of disappointment. "Saturday... next week? As in, thirteen days from today?" As Yang spoke, Blake shut her book and sat up until she was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with the blonde.

"Yeah, the twenty-fifth. Why? Do you have plans that day, or something?"

Yang threw an arm around Blake's shoulders and pulled her closer. "Yes, actually. That's Blake's birthday, so I'm gonna be spending it with her. It wouldn't be a problem, but I kinda have a lot planned that day, so I think we're gonna have to miss it. Sorry, Ruby."

Blake's birthday. _Of course_. Ruby couldn't believe that she had forgotten about that. Yang had been talking about it for a few weeks now. Somehow, she had managed to completely forget about it, probably due to the fact that whenever it came up, Yang would talk about it for what seemed like hours. So, she may have started to tune it out without realizing it. Ruby pulled herself back up onto her bed and gently slapped herself in the forehead. "Her birthday. _Duh_. I totally forgot. It's fine, though. I understand."

Yang smiled apologetically. The brawler then felt a slight poke in her side and looked over to see Blake staring at her. "If you want to go to watch the meteor shower, I wouldn't mind, as long as it doesn't take up our whole day."

The blonde shrugged and laid back down. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to check it out for a little bit then. If we decide to watch it, we'll be sure to message you that day, okay?"

Ruby nodded happily. "Okay!" After Blake and Yang had assumed their previous positions, she hung off her bed again, staring at Weiss. "What about you? Do you still want to go, or do you have plans too?"

Weiss shook her head. "I don't believe so. I would have to double check, but I think I would definitely enjoy the experience, so even if I do have plans, I'm not against canceling them, provided they aren't _too_ important."

"Yes," Ruby exclaimed as she hoisted herself back up onto her bed. "Meteor shower party!"

After Ruby's short outburst ended, things settled down fairly quickly. The main sources of sound in the room were the turning of pages in books, soft breathing from Yang, and the occasional beep from Ruby's scroll.

Team RWBY's dorm wasn't quiet very often. In fact, it was rather infamous to the surrounding dorms, but when it was, it was quite the nice space. All four members were in their own little worlds. Ruby was messing with her scroll, Weiss was studying, Yang was resting, and Blake was reading. It could have gone on like that for a long time and not one of them would have complained, but all things must come to an end, and a soft thud radiated through the room as Ruby jumped off her bed and hit the carpeted floor with her heavy combat boots.

Hearing the dense noise, Yang opened one eye and sleepily stared at its source. "Hey, where're you goin'," she grumbled.

Ruby straightened her skirt and held up her scroll. "I'm gonna head over to JNPR's dorm to see if Ren can help me out with a few things. My scroll is on the fritz." As the brunette walked to the door, she stretched her arms above her head and grunted softly. "I'll be back in a few. Don't wait up."

Yang snapped her fingers and closed her eyes. "You got it, sis." Her breathing slowed fairly quickly as her internal battle between sleep or consciousness ended and she drifted off into a light slumber.

Before Ruby left the dorm, a question popped into her head. She was unsure of what the answer would be, but she decided to go for it anyway. The audible growl from her stomach only made her want to ask more. "Hey, Weiss?"

The heiress, hearing her name, looked up from her book with an expectant expression. "Yes?"

"After I get back, do you wanna go get lunch? It's been a while since breakfast and I'm pretty hungry."

Weiss' eyes drifted downward until they were back to reading the textbook laid out in front of her. "Sure," she replied flatly.

That was enough for Ruby. She always enjoyed spending time with Weiss and lately that had been happening more often. She enjoyed it, so Weiss' short reply didn't dissuade her in the slightest. "Cool. I'll hurry back, then." She then opened the door and stepped into the hallway, smiling. "Later."

Weiss stared at the door once it had shut, then went back to her textbook. Reading the material was proving tedious. It was almost as if she was reading the words, but they weren't sinking in. Perhaps she was just tired? She wasn't sure. Wanting to take her mind off studying for a few minutes, she pulled out her scroll, opened Beacon Chat, and stared at her messages that she had sent. _"It's been hours. I wonder if they're just busy..."_ The last thing Weiss wanted to do was make Red angry, but she couldn't help herself. Although she tried not to show it, she hated when people were mad at her for a reason she didn't understand. And while she wasn't sure if this person _was_ upset with her, she also hated not knowing things regarding her personal life. Seeing as how this was someone she considered a friend, it annoyed her to no end.

Blake caught the sight of Weiss checking her scroll out of the corner of her eye and faced the other side of the room to get a clearer picture. Seeing the worrisome look on her teammate's face while she checked her scroll piqued the faunus' interest. "Something wrong?"

Weiss let out an exasperated sigh and gently laid her scroll down beside her. "Nothing important. I'm sure I'm just worrying about nothing." Weiss ended the statement with a rather loud yawn, catching both girls by surprise. "Oh… I'm not sure where that came from." She then shut her textbook and began to walk towards her dresser with the study material tucked under her arm. "I suppose I could just be tired."

"Why's that? Did someone keep you up last night?" The heiress shot Blake a glare, only for her to wave a hand defensively. "That's not what I mean. I was asking legitimately. I've seen how Ruby sleeps in her bed. It's not uncommon to see her sprawled out in four different directions at night. I can't imagine that it would be easy to share a bed with someone like that."

Weiss chuckled as she put her textbook away and started to make her way back to her bed. "You don't have much room to talk. Yang is almost just as bad."

Noticing the lack of movement from her girlfriend after a few minutes had passed, Blake decided to peer over the top of her book. She saw a mess of tangled, blonde locks of hair draped over Yang's face, some of which were dangling just inside the edge of her open mouth. Smiling, the faunus reached over and brushed the stray hairs away. "That's fair, but Yang and I are dating. You take the good with the bad. The occasional knee in the back in the middle of the night is a small price to pay for how happy she makes me."

Seeing the caring side of the faunus almost made Weiss smile. Almost. "Well, I'm sorry for assuming you were taking a jab at the sleeping arrangement that Ruby and I had last night. After spending the last few years with Yang, you can understand why I thought that."

Blake closed her book, instead focusing all of her attention on her friend. "True, I can't fault you for it, but you haven't answered my question. Did you sleep alright? That's not the first time I've heard you yawn today."

"Actually, yes. I'm not quite sure why I'm so tired." Weiss straightened her skirt as she sat down on her bed, then dusted it off slightly and crossed her legs. "Now that I think of it, I slept _very_ well last night; better than I have in a long time."

"Hm, I wonder why," Blake sang under her breath.

"What was that?"

Blake smirked and quickly opened her book and hid behind its cover. "Oh, nothing."

"I think Yang's personality is rubbing off on you," Weiss said as she turned her attention back to her scroll. The lack of replies had her somewhat worried, no matter how ridiculous she told herself it was. _"I've already messaged them twice… Surely, a third won't hurt. Besides, it's been hours."_ She sent a quick text to Red, then set her scroll down on the table beside her and laid down. _"Here's hoping..."_

* * *

While Weiss and Blake were having their conversation, Ruby was walking to team JNPR's dorm. She hated it. The trek to their dorm was always _just_ long enough to be annoying. Their dorms used to be right across the hallway from each other, but an unfortunate water leak caused team JNPR to move into another dorm a good distance away from team RWBY's. They only had themselves to blame, though. The leak was _allegedly_ caused by an experimental dust compound that Nora had been loading into her grenades. One of the grenades exploded and caused two water lines to burst, drenching the entire floor and wall of the bathroom, and the ceiling of the dorm below. Of course, there wasn't enough evidence to prove it was Nora's fault, but everyone knew what _really_ happened.

As her destination finally came into sight, Ruby pulled out her scroll and attempted to fix the problem on her own one last time, to no avail. Most of it was working, but she couldn't do the one thing that she wanted the most. Beacon Chat had crashed. She couldn't open it no matter what she tried. Every time she selected the app, it immediately closed, not even leaving an error message behind. _"Ugh, screw it."_ Giving up, she slid the device into her pocket and marched onward.

Eventually, she reached the door to JNPR's dorm and knocked on it. No more than thirty seconds passed before it opened, revealing a tall, cheerful redhead holding her weapon in her hand, contradicting the friendly expression. "Oh, Ruby. What brings you here?"

"Hey, Pyrrha. Um, I'm actually here to see Ren. Is he around," Ruby asked, glancing back and forth between Pyrrha's green eyes and the readied weapon in her right hand. "If this is a bad time, I can come back later?"

"No, it's fine. Why do you..." The redhead followed Ruby's line of sight and understood. "Oh, don't worry about this. I was just about to go meet Jaune for our training session." She folded Miló into its smallest form and slid it behind Akóuo, which was positioned on her upper back. "Ren is just inside if you would like to come in."

After seeing Pyrrha put the weapon away, Ruby let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. "Thanks, that would be great." As Ruby stepped into the room, she saw Ren. He was sitting on his bed and had a frayed, pink skirt in his lap, along with a needle and thread. "Oh, are you busy?".

"I was just fixing one of Nora's skirts. I can do it another time. She has plenty more to wear until this one is finished." He then set the skirt off to his side and placed his hands on his knees. "Is there something I can help you with?"

The brunette walked over and sat down next to Ren, then held her scroll out to her side. "If you don't mind. I'm having a problem with this thing."

Ren took the device from her and looked at the screen. Not seeing anything wrong with it, he turned to the girl at his left. "What sort of problems are you having with it? Is it anything serious?"

Ruby scratched her arm nervously and her gaze drifted to her feet. "Well, actually, there's only one problem. I can't get one of my apps to open."

"Ah. Which one?" Fidgeting nervously, Ruby muttered something under her breath that Ren couldn't quite hear. "What was that? I didn't quite hear you."

A light shade of red was now covering Ruby's face. "B-Beacon Chat," she stuttered. She didn't know why she was so embarrassed. She was seventeen now; practically an adult in her eyes. If she wanted to have a dating app, then she could have one. She cleared her throat and sat up straight, then faced Ren with confidence. "It's Beacon Chat. I can't get it to open."

Ren wasn't phased at all by the information. He simply scrolled through the multiple screens on Ruby's scroll, looking for the app. "Beacon Chat… that's a dating app, correct?" Ren asked the question innocently, but he knew the answer well. After all, he _did_ make it with the help of Fox and Yang.

All Ruby's confidence disappeared after hearing the question. She wasn't an adult and dating was _bad_. Boys were icky and relationships only ended in heartbreak. At least, that's what she wanted to tell herself. But Blue was just a friend... right? Why did it matter? "Yeah, it is. My sister told me about it, so I decided to check it out. I was talking to someone, but I can't do that now, so I would really appreciate it if you would look at it and see if you can figure out what's wrong with it. I would owe you big time."

Ren nodded and pulled out a laptop from under his bed, then placed it on his lap and opened it, revealing a bright pink and orange wallpaper with what appeared to be a hammer in the center. He promptly closed it as a light shade of red crept onto his face. "Consider it done. I should have it fixed in a few hours. Feel free to come back later to check my progress." After turning his laptop slightly to the right, he connected Ruby's scroll to the computer.

Happy that the problem was being resolved, Ruby stood up and clapped her hands together. "Thanks, Ren. You're awesome."

"Please, think nothing of it."

Ruby then spun on her heel and started heading out of the dorm. She passed by Pyrrha, who was holding the door open for her. "Thanks." Although, she was surprised when she followed her into the hall. "Um… Is there something you need to talk about, or..."

Pyrrha shook her head. "No, but I told you I was going to train with Jaune. He asked me to meet him at our usual spot."

"You mean the rooftop for the eastern dorms?"

"Y-Yes. How did you know that?"

Ruby waved her away as she began to make her way back to her team's dorm. "Psh, _everyone_ knows. It's not exactly a secret."

"I… see," the redhead said, her faced slightly flushed. "Well, I'd best be going. I don't want to make Jaune wait longer than I have to."

"How come you didn't go earlier? You looked like you were ready to head out whenever I showed up."

"Ah. I was just curious about what you had come for. I wasn't trying to be nosy, I just wanted to know if there was anything that you needed _my_ help with. Since I didn't know your problem, I decided to stick around until you were done talking with Ren. I'm sorry if I was an inconvenience."

"Oh, gotcha. Well, I don't need your help this time, but I appreciate you sticking around in case I did. Thanks."

Pyrrha smiled warmly and started to walk away from Ruby. "Anytime."

"Later."

The two girls parted ways, and Ruby dug her hands into her pockets. With nothing to distract her from the grueling walk back, it felt even longer than usual. She eventually found a small clump of lint in one of her pockets and started to roll it between her finger and thumb until it became a ball. It was the only source of entertainment she had, and she hated it. " _This sucks."_

Before she went mad from boredom, her dorm room finally came into view. Staring at the door with half-lidded eyes, she walked forward slowly, happy that her journey was almost over. However, she quickly had another burst of energy as she remembered what her plan was when she got back. She jogged up to the door and threw it open, then opened her mouth to yell but was quickly silenced by Blake.

The faunus pressed a finger to her lips and pointed to the blonde sleeping at her feet, then to the ivory-haired girl sleeping across the room. The sight made Ruby's smile turn into a frown as she walked further into the room and quietly shut the door. "How long have they been asleep," she asked softly.

"Not long," came Blake's near-silent reply. "Although, Weiss did ask me to have you wake her up when you got back. She didn't want you to think she'd forgotten about your lunch… _date._ "

The last part of Blake's statement came out so softly that Ruby didn't even pick up on it. She instead walked over to Weiss and reached over to wake her up, only to stop herself. Sunlight was hitting Weiss' hair in the best way possible. The way her hair shone was mesmerizing, almost like it was glowing. It was on the disheveled side, but it didn't matter. There was something about the way Weiss looked that put Ruby in a trance. She just seemed so… _peaceful._

"Are you going to wake her up, or let her sleep? She did want to go, after all," Blake said from the other side of the room, breaking Ruby out of her hypnotism.

"Right… I guess I should wake her up then." Gently, Ruby reached out and lightly shook her partner. "Weiss, do you still want to go get lunch?" The older girl grumbled and rolled onto her back, still asleep. Ruby shook harder. "Weiss, are you going to wake up so we can go eat?"

Slowly, Weiss' eyelids opened, revealing the bright blue eyes hidden underneath. A yawn escaped her mouth as she stretched her arms above her head, then focused on the girl above her. "Ruby… what are you doing?"

"Well, Blake said you wanted me to wake you up when I got back so we could go get lunch. Do you want to go back to sleep instead? I could always go by myself."

Memories came rushing back into the heiress' mind as she focused on Ruby's words. _"That's right. I did ask Blake to have her wake me up."_ Weiss groggily sat up and rubbed one of her eyes. "No, that's not necessary. I'll go."

"Sweet!" Ruby's raised voice then woke Yang, who had been sleeping peacefully. She stared at her sister with a glare that was half filled with sleep, half filled with what Ruby could only assume to be bloodlust. Once Weiss was out of bed and had her shoes on, Ruby grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the dorm. "Come on, let's get out of here."

They rushed out of the room and Ruby held her breath until she was sure Yang wasn't following them. Weiss wasn't ready for something like that so soon after she had woke up. "What was that all about? One second you're waking me up, then the next you're dragging me out of the dorm."

"When I yelled... I accidentally woke Yang up..."

A mildly fearful expression swept across Weiss' face, similar to one she would use if surrounded by a large pack of Beowolves. "Oh. In that case, I suppose your actions are justified."

Ruby then entwined her arm with her partner's, catching the girl by surprise. While unsure of the gesture at first, Weiss shrugged it off as her partner being friendly and pushed her arm out further to let the younger girl get a firmer grip. "You ready to go?"

"Yes, I believe so. Lead the way."

* * *

 **Hey guys, new chapter! It's a little slower than I originally planned, but it's here nonetheless.**

 **Also, there's cover art now! Terkontar here on FF was kind of enough to make it for me. And since you're obviously reading this, I highly encourage you all to check out his story _After the Storm._ Seriously, it's really good. Go read it. Now. Stop reading this. **

**Later!**

 **:D**


	9. Surprise Visit

As Ruby and Weiss made their way to the cafeteria, the latter let out an enormous yawn. She had been holding it in, not wanting to let Ruby know that she was tired and feel responsible, but she couldn't help it. She _was_ tired, whether it was Ruby's fault or not. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth as she yawned, then looked at the girl to her right. Ruby looked surprised. "Hey, are you sleepy? You didn't have to come with me if you wanted to nap for a little longer."

Weiss rubbed her eyes as she shook her head. "No, that's not necessary. Besides, if I sleep too much during the day, then I won't be able to get to sleep tonight." Weiss watched Ruby's expression change into one of guilt and attempted to preemptively quell her worries. "Before you ask, it's not your fault. I slept fine last night. I think it's just one of those days, if you know what I mean. I'll be tired for a while, but it will pass."

A breath of relief pushed its way passed Ruby's lips after hearing the comforting words from Weiss. "That's good. I was worried that I had kept you awake last night. You're sure that I didn't keep you up?"

"Yes, I'm positive. I actually had a very pleasant night, if you must know."

Ruby's grip on her partner relaxed somewhat and she laid her head on her shoulder. "Okay, if you say so."

While they walked, a thought suddenly occurred to Weiss. "Actually, even though I feel that I slept fine, I may have been subconsciously trying to keep to my side of the bed, but, seeing how small it is, that proved difficult." She untangled their arms from each other and stared at her leader. "How did you sleep last night? I didn't make it difficult for you, did I?"

"Nope, not at all." Ruby then remembered the picture that Yang had shown her that morning. "I, um… I don't think we even touched last night, so I think that bed might be bigger than you think." As Ruby thought about the picture, a light tint of red began to spread across her cheeks. "A-Anyway, what are your plans for the rest of the day?"

Weiss was caught off guard by the sudden change of subject, but didn't question it, instead attributing it to Ruby's hyper personality. "I'm not quite sure. I had actually planned to possibly go to the CCT tower and call my sister, but I don't know if I'll do it or not. It's been a while since I've talked to her, but I would also like to study, seeing as classes start back next week."

 _Sister_. Ruby had completely forgotten that Weiss had siblings. The heiress didn't bring up her family much, but when she did, she didn't have very many nice things to say about them. Her sister was the only exception. "Your sister… Her name's Winter, right?"

"Yes. I'm surprised that you remembered. I don't talk about her that much, do I?"

The question elicited a shrug from Ruby. "I mean, every now and then, but I guess it's not something you bring up a lot. I guess I just have a really good memory when it comes to names." The conversation then grew stagnant. No noise was heard aside from the sounds of footsteps on carpet and occasional inaudible voices coming from the surrounding dorm rooms.

Ruby started to shift nervously. It's not that she disliked silence, it's just that she didn't like it when it happened quickly. In an attempt to rekindle the conversation, she asked Weiss about next weekend. "So, are you excited about the meteor shower?"

"Yes, now that you mention it. I've never seen one before, aside from ones on television, so I'm looking forward to it."

Ruby's jaw dropped and she stopped dead in her tracks. "You've never seen a meteor shower before?! You have to see this one then!" She went to pull out her scroll, only to remember that it was currently with Ren. "Okay, will you make a note in your scroll? We could make a whole day out of it." Ruby was broken out of her bewilderment as her stomach growled loudly. "Okay, we should get to the cafeteria. I'm starving."

"Right behind you." Weiss didn't understand why Ruby was so surprised, but not wanting to deal with her rambling, she did as she was asked and made a quick reminder in her scroll for the twenty-fifth. She then quickened her pace slightly to catch up to Ruby, who had gotten ahead of her.

Before long, the cafeteria was in view, and Ruby sped up, ushering Weiss to follow her. "Come on, Weiss."

The heiress rolled her eyes and followed, but she became preoccupied with her scroll and didn't notice that Ruby had stopped. She bumped into the cloaked girl, nearly dropping her scroll in the process. "Hey, why did you stop?"

Ruby didn't respond. She was busy focusing on a new item the cafeteria had. Tucked away in a far corner of the room was a chocolate fountain. Surrounding it was a large, metal tray full of assorted treats meant to be dipped into it. "Th-There's… that's a..."

As Ruby set her sights on the fountain, Weiss quickly grabbed her cloak to keep her from speeding off toward it. Her quick thinking paid off, for as soon as she grabbed the fabric, Ruby attempted to take off in that direction, but was jolted backward as Weiss tugged on the cloak. "Calm down. The last thing you need to do is fill up on nothing but liquid sugar for lunch."

Pleading silver met blue as Ruby looked to the heiress with pleading eyes. "But Weeeeiiiisss-"

"No 'buts', get some _real_ food. There's plenty of it around. You can have your chocolate for dessert, like everyone else." Weiss saw Ruby's infamous puppy-dog-eyes start to take shape and she quickly turned around to resist the unfathomable power they seemed to have. Past experiences have taught her how to spot them early. "It's a miracle that you haven't had any of your teeth fall out of your head," she grumbled as she walked toward a pile of trays.

Ruby followed after her partner, her cape trailing behind her. "I've never even had a cavity, you know. Every time I go to the dentist, they say that my teeth are fine." A soft gasp left her mouth as something occurred to her. "Weiss… what if I'm immune to cavities?"

The question earned Ruby a scoff from the heiress. "I highly doubt it. I'm pretty sure that's medically impossible." Weiss then grabbed a tray and started to place a few small plates of food on it. "Besides, even if you _were_ incapable of something like that, you would have to worry about other things, like gaining weight or just being generally unhealthy."

Wanting to show Weiss that she wasn't worried about those things, she raised her shirt slightly and gently pat her stomach. "I think I'm fine. Training with Crescent Rose keeps me in shape pretty well."

Ruby didn't notice Weiss' gaze drift downward to the newly revealed patch of skin. The heiress had to forcefully tear her eyes away from the sight. She could have sworn that she saw abs, but… abs? On _Ruby_?! Surely her eyes were just playing tricks on her. After all, they've been roommates for three years. She would have noticed something like that by now. Surely. Positively. She definitely didn't think they were impressive. That is, _if_ they were even abs. Weiss felt her face start to heat up and quickly grabbed another plate of food and began to walk away from Ruby. "I'm going to get us a table."

"Uh, right. I'll be there in a sec."

Weiss hurried to the table and sat down, then stared at her food, deep in thought. _"What. The hell. Was that."_ She glanced toward Ruby, then back to her food. _"So what? She's muscular. It's not surprising considering the way she wields that oversized gardening tool of hers."_ Weiss shook the thoughts from her head, only for them to return moments later, much to her chagrin. _"Obviously it's the fact that we've been spending more time together lately; that's why I noticed."_

However, Weiss wasn't able to dwell on her thoughts for very long, as the sound of a metal tray clanging onto the table caught her attention, followed by a happily humming Ruby sitting down across from her. "Whoo! Food!" She started to shovel food into her mouth, but stopped when she saw Weiss' face. "Uh… what?"

"Don't you think you could eat a little… Oh, I don't know, slower?"

Ruby wiped her mouth with a napkin and held up a finger until she was done chewing her food. She had gotten tired of Weiss scolding her whenever she talked with a full mouth. So, she wasn't going to give her the chance. Once she had swallowed, she cleared her throat and looked at the chocolate fountain. "I could, but that would leave less time for dessert. If I take too long, then I might not get any. That's not a risk I'm willing to take."

"You can be such a child sometimes," Weiss huffed as she readied a bite of food on her fork. She didn't mind Ruby's… _character_ as much as she did when they first arrived at Beacon, though. In fact, sometimes she even found it quite endearing. It was nice to see a person training to be a huntress with such an innocent outlook on life.

"What was that," Ruby asked, a fork loaded with food hovering inches away from her mouth. "I didn't hear you."

Weiss shook her head as she took another bite. "Oh, nothing. It wasn't important."

The rest of their lunch was spent in relative silence. There were plenty of people around them making noise, but Ruby and Weiss didn't say anything to each other. Even when Ruby tried to get an entire bowl full of chocolate, Weiss simply grabbed her wrist and shook her head, then took the bowl and handed her a small cup.

The two girls had no explanation for why they didn't talk, they just didn't feel the need to. It's as if they were just pleased to be in each other's presence. The silence followed them out of the cafeteria and into the hallway, until Weiss noticed just how quiet it was without the large group of students that was in the cafeteria. "So, Ruby, what are your plans for the rest of the day?"

The sudden question had Ruby stuttering for a reply. She had been perfectly content with the silence, and Weiss' questions surprised her. "W-Well, now that you mention it, I was thinking about… studying." Ruby felt disgusted with herself for even saying that word. She had studied before, of course, but never in her free time. It was always during the times that Weiss deemed necessary. It covered just enough material for her to get a passing grade, even though her lowest grade without studying was a B+, which she was perfectly fine with.

"Really now," Weiss said, her face filled with shock. "And what brought this on, all of the sudden? Normally you put off your studies until the last possible minute."

"Well, actually, it's because of this person I've been talking to. They seem to study a lot, like you." Ruby scratched her arm nervously as she spoke, unsure of how to carry the conversation without giving away any embarrassing information. "Besides, it probably wouldn't be a bad thing, you know? I was actually thinking of asking you for help with some stuff, if that's cool."

Pleased that Ruby was finally taking some initiative toward her studies, Weiss nodded happily. "That would be fine with me. I would gladly assist you if you need my help. We do have a few tests coming up. I could help you cover the subjects, if you like."

"Thanks, that'd be great."

Curiosity slowly started to get the better of Weiss, and before long, she couldn't help herself. "So, tell me about this person that made you study. I'm curious who has the power to get you to study, since I've been trying that for the past three years."

Ruby shifted uncomfortably at the question. She wanted to find a way to tell Weiss about Blue without telling her how they met. "Um… Well, I met them at school. We exchanged scroll numbers and have been talking for a while."

Before Ruby could say anything more, something in the distance caught her eye. Someone was waving to her – someone wearing lots of green. After a moment, it clicked. It was Ren. The young man walked up to Ruby, scroll in hand. He lifted his hand and held it out to Ruby so she could take her scroll. Once she had it, he smiled. "I believe that I fixed everything. You had a couple missed messages, so I suggest you look at them whenever you have time."

Ruby hastily scrolled through several sections of her scroll to make sure everything looked the same. Satisfied, she bowed. "Thanks, Ren. you're a lifesaver."

"Don't mention it." He then walked by the two girls, nodding at Weiss in the process, who happily returned the gesture. "If it has any more problems, come find me. I'll be in the cafeteria for a while and I would be happy to take another look at it."

Once Ren was out of sight, Ruby and Weiss continued on their way back to the dorm. However, the brief interruption by Ren didn't make Weiss forget about what Ruby had said. The heiress softly nudged her in the side to catch her attention. "So, are you gong to tell me more about this 'friend' of yours? How did you meet them?"

Sighing, Ruby hung her head. _"I guess I shouldn't really keep this from her. She's my best friend. She deserves to know."_ She took a deep breath before answering the heiress' question. "Honestly? I..." She was struggling to get the words out. "I met them on a dating app." She poked her fingers together as she spoke. "But we're not dating! I just wanted someone to talk to. Yang told me about the app, so I decided to check it out."

Weiss' eyes nearly popped out of her head, shocked that Ruby had done the exact same thing as her. "I… see."

Expecting more of a reaction, Ruby was fairly surprised. "You're acting pretty calm about this whole thing." Ruby then pulled out her scroll, remembering that Ren mentioned that she had received messages, which gave Weiss a moment to collect her thoughts. She opened Beacon chat and read the messages, then closed the app and placed her scroll in her pocket, deciding to reply to them once they got back to the dorm.

"So… what's their name?"

Ruby stared blankly at her partner. "Hm?"

"Their name," Weiss repeated. "What is their name?"

"I don't know. We haven't told each other our names yet. They said that they weren't comfortable telling me their name. But we have nicknames for each other, so that way we have _something_ to call each other besides 'you'." Ruby started to fidget with her scroll in her pocket. "I know it's stupid, but you asked."

" _Nick… names?"_ This was starting to sound very familiar to Weiss. "I don't think it's stupid. You're almost a grown woman. If you want to make friends through a dating app, then it's your choice." The fact is, she wanted to tell Ruby the dangers of talking to a stranger online, but she couldn't. If she did, she would be a massive hypocrite. Instead of laying into her about the app, she decided to ask another question. "If you don't mind me asking, what are your nicknames?"

A nervous joy spread across Ruby's face once she realized Weiss was interested in her friend. "Oh, they're really cute! They're B-" The nicknames were drowned out as the two girls suddenly heard Yang's voice echoing through the halls, calling Ruby's name. "Was that Yang?"

Before Weiss could answer, they heard the voice again, louder this time. "Ruby, where are you?!"

Ruby and Weiss' eyes turned towards the sound, which sounded like it was coming from another hallway to their left. "That's most certainly Yang, and it sounds like she's getting closer."

The next things the pair saw was a blonde blur tearing through the hallway toward them. Weiss braced herself, but was relieved when the mass of yellow stopped in front of them instead of crashing into them. A hand made its way through the tangled, blonde mess and pulled it to the side, revealing Yang's face beneath it. "Ruby, I'm glad I found you. You have to come with me now." Yang stretched out her hand and grabbed her sister's wrist, then pulled in the direction she had just come from. "Come on!"

As Yang dragged her along, Ruby looked back at Weiss with a pleading look. She waved her hand towards her, asking Weiss to follow her. Weiss understood immediately and quickly chased after the two girls. When she had almost caught up with them, the took a sharp turn down a corner and came to a dead stop. Ruby and Weiss were now both panting.

After a few seconds had passed and her breathing became somewhat normal, Ruby looked to Yang, bewilderment very apparent on her face. "Yang, what was that about?! What is so important that you just ran up to me and decided to-" As she started to berate Yang, her rant became softer and eventually stopped as she felt a presence looming over her. Confusion was then thrown into all of the emotions Ruby was feeling as she stared at Yang and noticed a wide smile plastered on her face.

Yang threw an arm over Ruby's shoulder and slowly spun her around, then pointed to the presence Ruby had felt. It was a tall, dark-haired man. He had a dull-red, tattered cape trailing off his shoulders and a flask held tightly in his right hand. "Look! Someone is drinking in the school! That's against the rules, so we have to go tell Ozpin or Goodwitch!"

Ruby's face quickly matched Yang's as her jaw dropped, then formed into a wide smile. She leaped at the man and wrapped her arms around him, then clasped them firmly together. "Uncle Qrow!"

The hunter smiled and ruffled Ruby's hair with his empty hand, chuckling as he did so. "Hey there, kiddo."

* * *

 **Hey there. Here's a new chapter... _a day late_. I'm falling behind and I can't help it! T-T**

 **Anyway, hope y'all enjoy the chapter. See ya in the next one.**

 **:D**


	10. Rekindle

Ruby stared up at her uncle, her face overcome with happiness. "Uncle Qrow! It's so good to see you!" She tightened her grip around the hunter and buried her face in his chest before bringing it back and locking eyes with the tall man. "What are you doing here?"

Qrow wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulder and brought a metal flask to his lips. He took a drink, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve and looked back to his niece. "Well, I was on a mission, but I managed to finish it early. I was in the area, so I decided to pay a visit to my two favorite people." He smirked then looked to Yang, who was standing a few feet away from him. "But Oz and Glynda were busy, so I decided to come see you two instead."

The sarcastic comment earned Qrow an elbow in his ribs, courtesy of the scythe-wielding brunette at his side. He rubbed the area that Ruby had hit and looked down at the girl, who was now pouting with her arms crossed. "Not. Funny."

Raspy laughter escaped from Qrow's mouth. "It was only a joke." He then noticed just how hard Ruby had struck him. "You know, I miss the days when you could hit me as hard as you could and it wouldn't hurt more than a fly." He ruffled Ruby's hair and noticed just how much taller she had grown. "And you need to stop growing up. You're makin' me feel old."

Yang walked over and lightly punched Qrow in the arm and smiled. "Hey, that's not our fault. You only feel old because you _are_ old."

Qrow glared at the blonde girl, then grinned and shook his head while chuckling softly. "I guess I am getting old, because I don't have it in me to argue with you about that." He took a drink of his flask, then made sure the cap was on it tightly and placed it into his pocket. "Well, I don't want to keep you from that girlfriend of yours. She seemed like a nice girl, treat her right."

Nodding, Yang said goodbye and started to make her way back to the dorm. When the last traces of her blonde hair disappeared around a corner, Ruby tugged on her uncle's sleeve, catching his attention. "So, since Yang willingly ran off like that and it sounds like you've met Blake… how long have you been here?"

"A little while. I came by your dorm, but you weren't there. Yang said that you were at the cafeteria, so I decided to hang around until you showed up, but the two of you took to long, so I decided to find you myself."

"Sorry, Weiss and I got held up at the cafeteria. Ya see, they have a chocolate fountain there now, so I wanted t-"

Qrow cut her off by raising his hand and nodding. "Say no more. Now I get why you two were gone so long." He then directed his attention to the white-haired girl that had followed Ruby and Yang. "And since you brought her up," the hunter began as he made his way towards the heiress. "You must be Weiss Schnee. I'm Qrow, Ruby and Yang's uncle."

The sight of the man towering over her intimidated Weiss. While Yang and Blake were still taller than her and Ruby, the two of them had grown a decent amount since they started at Beacon, and having someone so much taller than her in such close proximity put her on edge. He was about the same height as Ozpin, but he gave Weiss an empty feeling in her gut. He had a smile on his face, but he almost seemed… sinister. "Y-Yes, I'm Weiss. It's nice to meet you, sir."

"Not _sir_. Just Qrow."

"Yes, si- Qrow. I apologize."

"Nothin' to apologize for. It just makes me feel older than I would like." Qrow smiled wider at the sight of a Schnee nervously fidgeting beneath his gaze. It wasn't something that had happened for a very long time. The smile brought Weiss some small amount of comfort, but she was still on guard, though she wasn't sure why. Qrow walked closer to Weiss and scanned her from head to toe. "So, you're Weiss. You know, when Ruby came back to Patch over summer break, she talked about you a lot. I didn't think she was ever gonna shut up. I almost feel like I've met you already."

"B-But… I don't… He didn't mean… That's," Ruby stuttered. "Uncle Qrow!" The hooded girl groaned and smacked her uncle in the back. "Don't just say things like that!" She then turned to Weiss, blushing. "Sorry… I was just really happy that I could tell people about my best friend. I may have gone a little overboard, I guess."

Weiss couldn't fight the unseen powers tugging at the corners of her mouth, and eventually gave into them as a small grin formed on her face. "It's fine. I think I may have even done the same thing the last time I spoke to Winter."

The words seemed to put Ruby at ease. "Really? That's cool." She crossed her arms behind her back and laced her fingers together as her gaze fell to her feet. _"At least that doesn't make me seem weird, I guess."_ In an attempt to clear her mind and change the subject, Ruby entwined her arm with Qrow's and started to pull him toward the direction that she and Weiss had just came from. "Come on, I'll show you around the school. There's some more people I would like you to meet, too."

Qrow didn't fight it and he gladly followed his niece through the hall. "Alright, I'm comin', but you don't have to pull me like I'm a dog on a leash."

"Yeah, my bad. I'm just excited that you're here." Before they turned down another hallway, Ruby looked behind her at her ivory-haired partner. "Weiss, do you want to come with us?"

Weiss shook her head. "No, I would feel like I was intruding. Besides, there's actually something I would like to talk to your sister about. I'll see you later, Ruby." She waved as she spun on her heel and began to make her way back to team RWBY's dorm. "Stay out of trouble."

As the image of Weiss grew smaller and smaller, Qrow leaned down to Ruby. "Was that directed at you or me?"

Ruby shrugged and sighed slowly. "Let's just say it was for both of us."

Qrow chuckled and pulled out his flask. "Fair enough."

Arm in arm, Qrow and Ruby walked slowly through the hallways of Beacon. Every couple of minutes, Ruby would point out something to her uncle in excitement, and Qrow would look at it and nod, then take a drink from his flask. The cycle continued for a while, until they reached the first "stop" that Ruby had in mind. "Alright, we're here. These guys are some of my best friends, so please don't embarrass me, okay?"

"Please," Qrow scoffed. "I do have _some_ amount of control. I won't say anything too embarrassing if you don't give me anything to go off of."

"I'll be sure to remember that."

* * *

The door to team RWBY's dorm creaked as Weiss opened it slowly, giving the two members inside ample time to become… _decent_ , if the situation required such. However, as she poked her head through the door, Weiss noticed that Yang was the only person inside. She stepped into the room, then walked over to her bed and sat down. "Where's Blake?"

Yang looked up from her scroll, which was currently in her lap with a now-paused video displayed on it. "She went to go talk to professor Peach about one of the field trips we have coming up – the one to the museum in town. Something about a 'faunus heritage exhibit', or something. I didn't quite catch all of it before she was gone. She might be gone for a while."

"Oh, well, maybe that's for the best." Weiss straightened her skirt and placed her hands in her lap. "Yang, I have a couple of questions for you, and I would like to have them answered seriously." She took a deep breath as Yang sat up on her bed, now worried that something serious had happened. "Yang Xiao Long..."

"Uh," Yang nervously breathed. It wasn't often Weiss said her full name without yelling at her, so hearing her say it in such a calm tone made her _very_ uneasy. "Is there something wrong? You're not yelling at me… It's kinda freaking me out."

Weiss pulled out her scroll and stared at Beacon Chat's icon, then locked eyes with her blonde teammate. "Yang, does Ruby have Beacon Chat?" Weiss asked while narrowing her gaze at Yang, whose expression answered the question before she even opened her mouth.

The blonde brawler nervously glanced from side to side, then up and down, doing her best to avoid making eye contact with the heiress sitting across the room from her. But she could only hold out for so long. She could feel Weiss' eyes on her, and the fact that she hadn't said anything for a few moments only added to her uneasiness. Slowly, she looked up until she saw piercing, blue eyes. "Yeah, Ruby has it."

"Why?"

Yang blinked several times at the question. "Um… what do you mean 'why'?"

"Beacon Chat. Why does she have it?"

Breathing heavily, Yang threw her legs over the side of her bed and stared at the floor. "Look," she started. "Ruby has been down lately. She doesn't talk about it that much, but I know why. She's been lonely. Honestly, if I wasn't her sister I probably wouldn't have even noticed. But I couldn't help it. I noticed her moping around and decided that if there was any way I could make her feel better, then I would do it."

Weiss' expression changed into one of curiosity. "And you thought that the best way to do that was to talk her into downloading an app that pairs her with strangers? Why didn't you just try to talk to her about it? You shouldn't try to decide things for her. She is almost an adult, Yang. She can make her own decisions. For that matter, so can I. Why did you talk me into getting it?"

"Well, kinda the same reasons I did it for Ruby, I guess. Don't sit there and tell me you haven't been feeling down in the dumps. You definitely look like you have been."

Weiss gritted her teeth and leaned forward. "Don't you sta-"

Yang interrupted her teammate by holding up a finger over her mouth. " _But_ you've been looking a lot happier lately. You and Ruby both. If you wanna be mad at me, fine- I get it. But I don't think you can sit there and say that you're unhappy that you have that thing on your scroll now. I think I've even seen you smile a few times since you've got it," she said with a laugh.

The heiress had no clever retort for Yang's words, because she knew that she was right. Though she didn't admit it to anyone, she had been feeling somewhat "down in the dumps", as Yang so eloquently put it. The simple fact is that she _was_ happier lately and the chat app had provided her the feeling of a relationship that felt deeper than what she had with her friends, though she didn't know why. After all, Red was just her friend, the same as her teammates and team JNPR. Right?

Weiss breathed sharply out of her nose and looked at the bright screen of her scroll, focusing on Beacon Chat's icon. "… I suppose you're right."

Yang snorted and slapped her hands on her thighs. "Whoa. Did you just say that _I_ was right? Can I get that in writing? I don't think it will happen again." The blonde started to fumble with her scroll, then hopped off her bed and made her way over to Weiss while holding her scroll out toward her teammate. "Here, say it again so I can have this on record."

Instead of repeating herself, Weiss gently slapped Yang's arm away. "Don't be a pest. I said it once and that's all you're going to get. And even though I _did_ say you were right, that doesn't mean that I appreciate being manipulated like this."

"I'm sorry, alright? I was just trying to look out for you two and help," Yang begrudgingly said while rolling her eyes. "It won't happen again."

Mimicking Yang's behavior, Weiss went wide-eyed and held her scroll out toward the blonde. "What's that? You're sorry? Here, say it again so I have it on record."

"Alright, I see your point." Yang walked back across the room and plopped down onto Blake's bed, then hunched over so she could place her elbows on her knees. She laced her fingers together and placed them under her chin, then stared at Weiss' scroll. "So, what now? Are you still gonna talk to that person?"

"Of course. I don't really see any reason to stop, though I haven't heard from them today." Weiss opened Beacon Chat and stared at the messages she had sent throughout the day. "I messaged them a few times, but they never replied. I stopped so I wouldn't make them angry."

"Welp, you could always try messaging them one more time. I mean, it's getting close to evening now. I bet they would have time to talk right now. Besides, one more message couldn't hurt. I know that if I was mad at someone, I would tell them."

Weiss let her thoughts dwell on Yang's words. She really didn't want to cause her friend to be angry with her, but Yang was right _again_. If they were upset with her, they should just tell her instead of letting her wonder whether or not she had made them mad. _"It's worth a shot, I guess."_ Weiss quickly typed out a message, then sent it.

W: **Hi, it's me… again. I just wanted to know if I had done something to upset you at all, seeing as how you haven't got back in touch with me today. If so, I would appreciate it if you would just tell me. If you aren't upset, then I'm sorry for bothering you.**

"Alright, I sent another one."

Yang nodded. "Now you just have to wait for them to text you back, huh?"

"Yes, that's the plan." Weiss' eyes drifted to her dresser, then to the small desk in the corner of the room. "Until then, I suppose I'll study and wait for Ruby to get back." She stood up, walked to her dresser, then pulled out a textbook and a notebook. She tucked them under her arm, then made her way to the desk and set the materials down.

Once Weiss sat down in the chair by the desk, Yang stood up and clapped her hands together. "Well, since I know you like things to be quiet when you study, I guess I'm gonna go try to find Blake and see how her talk with professor Peach is going." Yang walked to the door, opened it, then waved to Weiss as she closed it. "Don't wait up."

* * *

"Alright, I think we're gonna get out of here for now. I'll see you guys around. Sorry about the whole, well… sorry your bookshelf is in half now."

"Don't apologize! That was awesome!"

"Um… yeah. Later, guys." Ruby waved goodbye to team JNPR as she closed the door that led into their dorm, then closed her eyes and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding once she heard the door latch. Her head then shot to her side as she glared daggers at the man beside her. "Uncle Qrow! Why would you do something like that?! That was their bookshelf!"

Qrow shrugged as he pulled out his flask and took a swig of its contents. "Hey, don't blame me for that, it wasn't even my idea. It was that redhead with the pink skirt who told me to do it once she saw my weapon. I like her, she's spunky."

"Uncle Qrooow," Ruby groaned. "I don't care _who_ asked you to do something like that. That's school property! What do you think Ozpin would do if he found out what you did?" Ruby placed her hands on her hips and stared disapprovingly at the hunter.

"Look at you, being responsible. You really have grown up. And to answer your question - Honestly? Probably nothing. I've gotten away with way worse, believe me. Oz is a good friend of mine. He wouldn't be mad at me for having a little 'weapon demonstration'."

Ruby raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Is that right? And what do you think professor Goodwitch would do if _she_ found out?"

Qrow grew stiff and nearly choked on his drink at Ruby's question. Seeing Glynda mad was something he used to find hilarious, until the one time that he was the subject of her anger. It had been over a decade, but the memory was still very vivid in his mind. After he was done sputtering over himself, he grew more composed and cleared his throat. "Yeah… How about we just keep this between us? It could be our little secret."

"What's in it for me? I could just walk up to professor Ozpin's office and let the two of them know right now. Does that sound good to you?"

"Well, I could always take you to that weapon shop in town. You talk about it almost every time I see you. Does that sound like a fair trade?"

If Ruby's eyes could actually turn into nothing but bright, yellow stars, they would have. She jumped up and down several times, then grabbed Qrow's arm and started to pull him toward the exit of the school. "Yes! That's fair! Let's go!" However, she stopped moving once she heard her scroll ring. She stopped abruptly, pulled out her scroll, and was filled with unexpected joy as she saw that she had a new message from Blue.

As she read it, she became confused. _"Why would I be mad at them?_ " She started to scroll through her messages, then slapped herself mentally. Ren told her that she had messages, but she had forgotten to actually look at them. _"Ruby, you idiot."_ She texted a reply, then sent it and placed her scroll in her pocket.

R: **Hey there. Sorry I haven't messaged you back today. I've had a few problems with some things and haven't been able to talk. Honestly, now's not the best time either. I'll text you tomorrow though. Is that cool?**

Once her scroll was out of sight, she turned back to Qrow and reached out her hand. However, Qrow didn't take her hand and instead stared at her, confused by her sudden behavior. "What the hell was all that about," he asked as he pointed to the pocket that Ruby's scroll was resting in. "You just stopped from a near-full sprint. Well, full sprint for a normal person, anyway."

A very light shade of red spread across Ruby's face as she pulled her scroll back out. "Oh, I got a message on my scroll, so I decided to check it out. I was having some issues with it earlier, so I'm catching up with a friend."

"A friend, huh? You know, I have a few friends myself, but I've never been excited enough to drop whatever I was doing to talk to them. Especially through a text message." One of Qrow's eyebrows raised curiously as he stared at his niece. "Just what kind of 'friend' is this person?"

The blush on Ruby's face deepened. "N-No one special. Just a good friend of mine."

"Hm, it doesn't sound like they're just a friend." Qrow pulled out his flask and took a drink, then placed it in his pocket and snapped his fingers. "Oh, is it… _Weiss_?"

Ruby's jaw dropped and the shade of red on her face quickly matched that of her cape. "U-Uncle Qrow, what are you trying to say?" Before Qrow could give her an answer, Ruby's scroll rang. Disregarding everything Qrow had just said, she quickly looked at the device and read the message that now adorned its screen.

 _ **I see. I'm just relieved that I hadn't upset you somehow. I'll talk to you another time.**_

Ruby smiled as she read the message. After not talking to Blue for almost an entire day, she felt incredible joy at seeing a new message from her friend pop up on her scroll. Once she put her scroll away, she looked up, only to see her uncle smirking. _"Oh, great."_

Qrow crossed his arms and chuckled lightly. "So, you gonna tell me more about this _friend_ of yours, or what?"

"Can I go with the 'or what' option?"

"Sure, as long as you don't want to head to the weapon shop." Qrow pulled out his flask and took a drink. He grunted a bit as he took a larger drink than he meant to, but swallowed the liquid quickly and shook his head a couple of times and took in a sharp breath, before returning his attention to Ruby. "So, what's it gonna be?"

Ruby puffed out her cheeks. "… Fine. They're a friend I made a while back. And before you say it again, no, it's not Weiss. I don't even know what made you think that in the first place..." Ruby looked at Qrow, only to see him smile and nod, signaling her to continue with her story. "We've been talking for a while and have gotten to be pretty good friends – and that's all. _Friends_." She wasn't sure why, but calling Blue her friend felt "off" to her.

"Alright. So, how did you meet them? Do you have classes with them? And Why haven't I met _them_ yet? Not that I minded meeting your teammates and… ah, damn it. What was that other team's name?"

"Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren. They're Team JNPR."

Qrow snapped his fingers once Ruby said the name that had escaped him. "Yeah, them, but why haven't you introduced me to this other person yet? You haven't even mentioned them."

"Well, our relationship is kind of, um, different. I met them through an app."

"An app? That doesn't sound suspicious at all," Qrow said sarcastically. "What kind of app is it? You can never be too careful with things like that. A lot of creeps like to get on to those kind of things, you know. Trust me, I've used them before."

"Oh, yeah? Are you one of the creeps you're talking about?" Ruby took great delight at Qrow's reaction to her question. "Anyway, it's called Beacon Chat and Yang told me about it."

"The hell is Beacon Chat?"

Ruby pulled out her scroll and opened the app, carefully hiding her messages from her uncle. "It matches you randomly with a stranger to talk to. Once you've talked to somebody, it saves them under a sort of contact list." Ruby up the list and pointed to Blue's name. "See?"

Qrow hastily snatched the device from Ruby's hands before she had time to react. "Blue? I've seen some names in my time, but that one's a little weird. And I'm named after a bird." Ruby tried to take the scroll back, but Qrow was able to hold it _just_ out of her reach. "Let's see what the two of you have been talking about."

However, before he could investigate further, he felt a sharp pain in his shin and dropped the scroll, which Ruby caught, locked, and put away. "Those messages aren't for you to see!"

"Alright, fair enough, but you didn't have to kick me!"

"I'm an adult. I can take care of myself. I don't need you rifling through my scroll to find out stuff. If you want to know something ask me, if I want to tell you, then I will."

Qrow rubbed the upper part of his shin that was briefly introduced to one of Ruby's shoes and nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry. Wow, you've got some force in those kicks of yours." Once the pain had subsided, he pulled out his flask and took a large drink. "Okay, no more questions. I didn't know that this was such a touchy subject, so I'll leave you alone about it for now."

"Thank you."

"Now, let's get to that weapon shop. Whatever you want, it's on me."

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Whatever I want?!"

"Within reason."

Slightly disheartened, but still excited, Ruby began to pull Qrow down a hallway towards the school's exit. "Okay, let's just get going!"

* * *

Ruby didn't realize how late it had gotten once she and Qrow left the weapon shop, though the new dust ammunition and scope for Crescent Rose made it all worth it. But, she still needed to get some sleep, so she was forced to say goodbye to her uncle. Although, she was relieved to hear that Qrow would be sticking around for a while. He didn't have any urgent missions and he would like to catch up with Ozpin if he could.

The halls of Beacon Academy were dimly lit as Ruby walked through them. They were always very bright during the day, due, obviously, to the daylight. But the seemingly always bustling student body seemed to breathe life into the structure of the school. When the halls were empty, they just seemed dreary. Ruby hated it. She was normally only in the halls like this after a nightmare. Before long, her destination came into view and she breathed a sigh of relief. _"Finally."_

The length of the last few strides was longer than normal as Ruby walked toward her team's dorm, wanting to reach it as quickly as possible. As she approached it, she reached a hand out, ready to open the door, but stopped as she saw a piece of paper taped to it. She yanked the paper off the door and saw that it was a note from her sister.

 _ **Hey, Ruby. Went to go see a movie with Blake. Be back late. See ya tomorrow.**_

" _That figures."_ She crinkled the note into a ball and placed it in her pocket, then started to open the door. She opened the door without much thought, then stood completely still and held her breath as something in the room caught her attention.

Asleep at the desk in the corner of the room, her head resting in a textbook, was Weiss. Ruby cursed herself. _"Crap, I forgot that I asked Weiss to help me study. Ruby, you're so stupid!"_ She wasn't mad at herself for long, though. The sight of Weiss sleeping was somewhat captivating.

The curtains in the room were slightly parted, allowing a thin ray of moonlight to shine into the room and hit Weiss' hair. The way the light shone off the ivory strands almost made it seem to glow. Not to mention her skin. The light of the moon made it look like flawless porcelain, as if she would break if Ruby touched her. She wanted to wake her up and move her, but she quickly decided against it. If she was tired enough to fall asleep studying, Ruby was fine with letting her sleep there for the night.

Although, that didn't stop Ruby from stripping the comforter off Weiss' bed and placing it on the heiress' shoulders. Once the fabric touched her, Weiss mumbled something in her sleep, something that caught Ruby's attention.

"R-Ruby… Ruby… I..."

Ruby leaned over and placed her ear closer to Weiss' lips.

"It w-wouldn't work… we couldn't..."

" _What in the hell is she dreaming about?"_ Ruby was hanging onto her partner's every word and her heart rate increased significantly, though she didn't know why. But Weiss didn't say anything else after her brief mumblings, which left Ruby with an empty feeling that she couldn't explain.

Brushing it off for the moment, yet still not completely throwing it out of her mind, Ruby stood up and made her way to her bed. She was too tired to change into her sleepwear, so she elected to sleep in what she was in. She jumped into bed, threw the blanket over herself and rolled onto her side. She glanced one last time at Weiss before shutting her eyes and drifting into a deep sleep.

* * *

 **Hey there, people. Hey, this chapter isn't a day late!**

 **...**

 _ **It's a week late.**_

 **MY bad, y'all. I'll try to get the next chapter out on time. Hope you guys liked this one.**

 **Later.**

 **:D**


	11. Interrogation: Part I

Saying that team RWBY's dorm was simply quiet would be a vast understatement. The winter onslaught that had been whirling outside the past couple of days had calmed down, and that meant that there was an absence of wind rustling the windows. Not to mention, three of the members of the team had stayed out rather late last night and were currently sleeping extremely heavily, making no noise of their own, even snoring. It was dead. One could probably have heard a pen drop on the carpet with their ears covered. And no one was able to take in the extraordinary quite. Well, except for one person.

Weiss woke up without opening her eyes. At first, she tried to go back to sleep, not quite ready to address the real world for the day. However, she found that task rather difficult, considering that she was lying in a very uncomfortable position. She attempted to lean back or lay down, but quickly discovered that she couldn't. As her back hit the chair she had fallen asleep in the previous night, she cursed herself. _"Why did I have to fall asleep like this?"_

Before she even started to move, she knew she was going to hate herself for sleeping in a chair. She sat up very slowly, a few pages of the book she had fallen asleep on clinging to her face as she did so. She gently pried them off, then craned her head to the side and breathed in sharply as a brief, stinging pain shot through her neck and shoulders, followed by a dull throbbing just behind her eyes. As she brought her hands up to rub the sides of her head, she leaned into the back of the chair in an attempt to massage the sore spots on her back.

" _Never again will I fall asleep in a chair."_ After she had woke up enough to be somewhat functional human being, she stood up and stretched her arms. Only after a loud, long yawn escaped her mouth did she notice the state of the dorm. It was very, _very_ quiet. It was pretty rare to have the dorm in such a state, so Weiss knew just how much she should appreciate it. She then noticed that she was the only one awake. Blake and Yang were sharing a bed as usual and Ruby had cocooned herself in her blankets.

As she looked at the sight, Weiss couldn't help but smile. Ruby was their leader and she had seen her be completely ruthless when it came to killing monsters. Sometimes, Ruby's plans were even carried out with surgical precision, the brunette carefully planning out every small detail. Seeing her bundled up brought something out in Weiss and she chuckled lightly before shaking her head and started to walk toward the bathroom.

However, she stopped dead in her tracks when a loud, obnoxious beeping noise echoed throughout the dorm room. Weiss spun on her heel and scanned the room with her icy blue eyes filled with anger. Her gaze dashed around the room as she tried to focus on the source of the noise and after a few seconds, she found it. It was coming from Ruby's bed. Weiss assumed it was an alarm, but it wasn't doing any good, as the scythe wielder wasn't stirring in the slightest.

The now irritated heiress marched over to Ruby's bed and was relieved that her scroll wasn't under the blankets. If it was, she would have to wake Ruby up to get to it and she didn't think she could talk to her without yelling. _"Honestly, if you set an alarm and don't wake up to it, then what's the point?"_ Weiss yanked Ruby's scroll off her bed and brought it up to her face, ready to silence the alarm. However, her entire attitude changed when she saw the message displayed on the device underneath the alarm.

 _ **Wake up and make sure Weiss is still sleeping okay.**_

Weiss let the message sink in as she stared at the screen. She turned her head to the chair that had served as her bed the previous night and noticed a blanket draped over the sides of the chair. It looked like it had been thrown over her back and slid down at some point. Whether it was some time during the night, or while she was waking up, she didn't know. Weiss then glanced down at her own bed and quickly realized that the blanket was from her bed. Someone must have taken it off her bed and put it on her. Judging from the alarm on Ruby's scroll… _"That dolt."_ Weiss simply turned off the alarm and placed the scroll next to her sleeping partner, all traces of her anger now gone.

The heiress' attention was then drawn to something else – her empty stomach. A very audible growl began to emit from her stomach, which caused her to burp and immediately recoil in disgust. The taste of a burp loaded with morning breath was awful. _"Alright. Brush teeth, then breakfast."_

First, she walked over to her dresser and pulled out a set of clothes for the day and tucked them under her arm, then began to make her way towards the bathroom, but was stopped as she heard the sound of someone rustling. She turned towards Ruby's bed and saw nothing that caught her eye, then faced Blake's bed.

Blake had one eye half open and was staring at Weiss. She was prevented from moving very much due to Yang's arm being thrown around her, but she could move her head enough to get a clearer picture of Weiss, who she was looking at with a scrunched up nose and laid back ears.

Weiss, seeing Blake's expression, cleared her throat. "Did you… hear that?"

The faunus in question nodded slowly. "I can _smell_ that."

"Sorry, I couldn't help it. My stomach growled and it just sort of came out." Weiss continued on her way to the bathroom. "If it's any consolation, I found it just as unpleasant as you. It tasted horrible."

"It isn't," Blake replied softly, taking care to not wake up her partner.

As Weiss stepped into the bathroom, she placed her clothes on the counter by the sink, then pulled out her toothbrush. She began brushing her teeth and stared at the collection of toothbrushes in front of her. They couldn't have been more fitting for their owners. Ruby's was red, Blake's was black, Yang's was yellow, and Weiss' was white. The heiress grinned internally at the sight.

Once she was done brushing her teeth, she rinsed her mouth and quickly changed clothes, then made her way out of the bathroom. As she stepped out, she noticed that Blake had gone back to sleep. If she _was_ awake, she was doing a very good job of faking it. Weiss stared at the black and yellow pair with a twinge of jealousy. However, those thoughts were short-lived. She then thought about Red. They hadn't really been able to talk yesterday, but today could be different. Weiss pulled out her scroll and glanced at it, then quietly walked out of the dorm and softly shut the door behind her.

In the hallway, she opened Beacon Chat and brought up her contact list. Weiss checked the time, then typed out a message, sent it to Red, then placed the device in her pocket and started to walk towards the cafeteria.

W: **Good morning.**

As she walked, Weiss thought that no matter how much time passed, she wouldn't message Red again. The quick exchange they had yesterday put all of her worries to rest. The only thing she had to worry about now was studying and getting Ruby to join her.

While she thought about her studies, she took in her surroundings. It was still morning and she could tell. Several students that passed her seemed, for the most part, asleep. Almost as if they forced themselves to get up despite being tired. Either that, or they were dreading the fact that classes resumed tomorrow, which is something Weiss didn't understand.

She actually enjoyed her classes for the most part. The only one that bothered her was professor Port's, but that was simply because of the way he could drone on about the "completely legitimate" tales of his younger days. Other than that, his class was fine, in Weiss' opinion.

After a while of walking, Weiss pulled out her scroll and brought up her study guide to help her figure out which subject would be the most important to cover before tomorrow. Although, that meant she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings as well as before. She turned down a hallway and promptly bumped into something and instantly smelled the strong scent of alcohol. She looked up and became stiff.

"Hey there, princess. Forget to watch out for other people?"

"Uh, well… I-I didn't," Weiss stammered. "I'm sorry, Qrow. It was an accident. I should have been paying closer attention." She started to shrink into herself, but was somewhat comforted by the sudden laughter of the man in front of her.

"Relax. I'm just messin' with ya," Qrow said after he took a swig of the contents of his flask. "I was actually on my way to your dorm. Is Ruby or Yang up and movin' around yet?"

Weiss shook her head. "Not yet. I was the first one awake today. I was just on my way to the cafeteria to get breakfast."

Qrow looked passed Weiss and glanced down the hallway, the turned back to the young girl in front of him. "Breakfast, huh? That sounds pretty good, honestly. Mind if I join you?"

To a person overhearing the conversation, it would seem like Qrow just asked a simple question, but Weiss couldn't help but feel like Qrow wasn't asking her – he was _telling_ her. "I-I don't see why not. But… why?"

"Well, I see this as an opportunity to get to know you a little better. I've heard Ruby talk about you quite a bit, but I like to form my own opinions of people. I'm not the kind of person to take someone's word on a person I've never met. Do you mind?"

There was that feeling again. It almost felt like he was _insisting_ that she let him tag along without actually telling her. "No. Um… f-follow me."

Qrow nodded and smiled. "You got it." Weiss then began to walk in the direction of the cafeteria with Qrow close behind, when the hunter was suddenly at her side. "So, I'm not all that surprised that Ruby and Yang are still asleep, but why are you up? I figured y'all would be taking it easy since you have class tomorrow."

Weiss answered the question without looking at Qrow. "I like to wake up early. Other than that, I plan to study a little bit today since, as you said, we have class tomorrow. One can never be too prepared." There was no response from Qrow, which only added to Weiss' stress about the situation. "… What about you? What brings you here?"

Surprised that Weiss asked _him_ a question instead of the other way around, Qrow turned and faced the heiress to his side. "Well, I had a mission that brought me into this neck of the woods, so I decided to drop by and check up on my nieces. I needed to talk to Oz about a few things, too. Since I had nothing else going on, I figured I would spend a few days here before I head out."

"I see." Before Weiss could say anything else, her scroll rang, halting the conversation she was having. She pulled out the device and read the message that was now on its screen.

 _ **Hey. Good morning to you, too.**_

As Weiss started to type a reply, she felt a presence looming over her, accompanied by a shadow. She looked up from her scroll and noticed Qrow looking at her texts. The hunter quickly stood backward and waved a hand defensively. "Sorry about that. I swear I wasn't snooping on your messages, I just thought that I recognized something. That was Beacon Chat, right?"

Weiss' eyes widened at the question. "You… know about Beacon chat?"

"Yup. Ruby told me about it a little yesterday." Qrow started walking towards the cafeteria and motioned for Weiss to follow him as he did so. "She didn't mention the fact that you had it, though. Just surprised me a little. Wasn't trying to eavesdrop, honest."

Weiss sighed, finished her message, then sent it and put her scroll away. "Well, that would be because Ruby doesn't know. And, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to keep it that way. For now, at least."

"Whatever. That's your business, not mine."

Weiss started to walk a bit faster to keep pace with Qrow, who was now taking larger strides. "So, what all did Ruby tell you?" She figured asking questions was the only way to keep the conversation from growing stagnant. She hated silence enough, but nervous silence was even worse.

"Not much. Only that she was talking to someone and was warming up to them. I told her to be careful about talking to random people online like that, but that's all I can do. She's almost an adult and I'm not even her father. As long as she's happy, I'm happy."

Seeing a caring side of Qrow put Weiss at ease, though she was still on edge slightly. After all, Qrow asked to join her for breakfast out of the blue. She didn't expect something like that to happen, well, ever. "That's sweet of you."

"Yeah. Don't let my rugged, handsome exterior fool you," Qrow said as he ran a hand through his hair. "Beneath it all, I guess I'm just a big softie, especially when it comes to family." Qrow noticed Weiss try not to smile, which only made him chuckle in return. "Anyway, what about you? Are you talking to anybody special on that thing?" Weiss looked at the hunter with an upturned eyebrow, which caused the hunter to raise his hands defensively. "Calm down. I'm not asking if you're single, I'm asking if you're talking to anybody. Like I said, I would like to get to know you a little better. I wanna make sure Ruby isn't hanging out with the wrong crowd."

" _Wrong crowd, hm?"_ Weiss pulled out her scroll and checked her messages, only to see that she hadn't received any yet. "As a matter of fact, yes. I think we are becoming friends, though I don't know their _real_ name, only what they told me to call them."

The statement stood out to Qrow. " _What they told you to call them_? Like… a nickname?"

Weiss nodded. "Precisely. It was my idea, as I was uncomfortable telling them my real name. They decided to go by Red and I am Blue."

Qrow stopped dead in his tracks. What Weiss didn't know was that Ruby mentioned nicknames in the conversation that the two of them had the previous day. Once Qrow found out about the app, he started to question Ruby about it. He eventually got a bit of information out of her, some of which he had just heard for the second time. Ruby told him that she and her friend had nicknames – Red and Blue.

Noticing that the hunter was taken aback by something, Weiss stopped walking and snapped her fingers a few times. "Um, are you alright?"

Qrow shook his head a few times, then pulled out his flask and took a large drink. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just… I just remembered something funny." Qrow then began to briskly walk toward a large archway that was now in front of them. "Hey, look, the cafeteria. Hope you're hungry. Whatever you want, it's on me."

"That's very nice, but I can more than cove-"

"It's not a problem. Besides, you've been a good friend to Ruby from what I've heard. Think of this as my way of saying thanks."

After a few moments of hesitation, Weiss decided that there was no point in arguing with the man. If he wanted to buy her breakfast, that was fine. That just meant she could pick something up for Ruby. After all, she couldn't study on an empty stomach. "Very well, if you insist."

"Great. Now, let's get some food. I'm starving."

* * *

 **Hey, guys. I'm really sorry about how short that this chapter is. Haven't had a lot of time to write lately and I won't be able to write at all for the next week or so, but I wanted to give y'all _something_ to read. Basically, this is the first half of the chapter I've been working on. The next one will be the second half, then normal chapters will pick back up after that.**

 **Okay, enough rambling. Later.**

 **:D**


	12. Interrogation: Part II

Ruby did _not_ want to wake up. She knew that she needed to. After all, Weiss would kill her if she slept in too late, especially after she asked her to help her out with studying, then stayed out all day. Slowly, she rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. Although, she wasn't able to stay in the position for very long, as the pillow started to smother her, due to the lack of significant airflow. She rolled onto her back and sighed, then closed her eyes.

She had almost fallen back to sleep, but an annoying beeping sound kept her from doing so. The sound grew louder and louder, much to her chagrin. Ruby groaned and sat up in order to find the source of the noise, only to realize that it was coming from her scroll. She held it up and slapped herself in the forehead. _"I forgot to wake up and check on Weiss."_ Ruby looked across the room to the chair Weiss had fallen asleep in the previous night and quickly noticed that she wasn't there. _"Weiss?"_

After looking around the room and not seeing her partner, Ruby pulled off her blankets and slid out of bed. As her feet hit the floor, a long, loud yawn pushed its way passed her lips and she started to make her way to the bathroom. However, as she walked by the second set of bunk beds, she heard someone say her name. She looked toward the bed and simply nodded her head as a morning greeting. "Blake? I didn't know you were up."

Blake sat up and shrugged as she stretched her arms above her head and arched her back. "I've been asleep off and on for a while. I woke up around the same time as Weiss." The faunus looked to the sleeping blonde at her side and smiled. "But I went back to sleep when I curled up to this space heater that you call a sister."

Hearing Yang being compared to a heater caused Ruby to giggle, but didn't take her mind off her missing teammate. "Wait, you said you woke up at the same time? Do you know where she is?"

Shaking her head, Blake swung her legs off the side of the bed. "No. She went into the bathroom and I went back to sleep before she came out. Your guess is as good as mine." She then placed her hands beside her and pushed herself off the bed, her ears twitching as she did so. Once she grabbed her bow from a nearby table, she turned back to Ruby. "Why do you want to know? Did you need something from her?"

"Well, sorta. I asked her to help me study yesterday, but I ended up staying out pretty late with Uncle Qrow last night and when I got back she was asleep at her desk. I would have moved her, but I didn't want to wake her up and make her angrier. I set an alarm to check on her this morning, but I guess I ended up sleeping through it. I just wanted to apologize to her for skipping out last night."

Blake sighed in understanding as she finished tying her signature bow around her ears. "If you really want to find her, I guess you should look in the library, or maybe even the cafeteria. Knowing Weiss, if she's not studying, then she's having breakfast."

"Good call. I'll probably check the library first." Ruby walked over to her dresser, grabbed a change of clothes, then started to walk toward the bathroom once again, turning to Blake before she stepped inside. "Do you need in there before I change?"

The faunus in question shook her head. "No. I can wait."

"Alright then." Ruby stepped into the bathroom and quickly undressed. The bathroom was always very cold to her, so she usually made an attempt to get dressed as fast as possible. Once she had dressed herself, she started to brush her teeth, only for her scroll to ring. She picked it up and felt a small surge of joy flow through her as a message from Beacon Chat appeared on her screen.

 _ **Good morning.**_

Ruby smiled as much as she could with a toothbrush in her mouth and texted back a reply before continuing to brush her teeth.

R: **Hey. Good morning to you, too.**

Once the message had been sent, Ruby finished brushing her teeth and gave her appearance a once-over in the mirror. Satisfied, she grabbed her scroll, stepped out of the bathroom and into the dorm, then walked into the hallway and started walking toward the library. _"Okay. Time to find Weiss."_

* * *

Weiss was beginning to hate her decision to let Qrow come with her. She understood his questioning, but now there was nothing, just silence while they ate. Every now and then, Weiss would steal a glance of the man in front of her. It seemed like Qrow was confused by something. Maybe he was worried? Weiss couldn't tell. Unable to handle the silence anymore, the heiress opened her mouth and spoke. "U-Uh..." Well, "spoke" may have been a _bit_ of an exaggeration.

Although it was no more than an audible sound instead of words, the noise caught Qrow's attention and he looked to the white-haired girl who was seated across the table from him. He forced all of the current thoughts out of his head and locked eyes with Weiss. "You got somethin' to say?"

"Well, you said you wanted to get to know me, but you've been rather quiet since we got here. It looked like you had something on your mind, so I thought I would ask you about it." Weiss looked at the plate of food in front of her, Qrow's gaze making her nervous. "Mostly, though, I just didn't want it to be quiet."

The statement piqued Qrow's interest. "What, you don't like the quiet?"

Weiss finished the bite of food in her mouth and cleared her throat. "I'm not overly fond of it, no. Aside from certain circumstances, like studying or- ouch!" Weiss stuck her tongue out of her mouth slightly, which confused the hunter across from her.

"What's with that face?"

Slowly, Weiss pulled her tongue back into her mouth and moved her jaw back and forth a few times. "Sorry, I bit my tongue. Just a bit of bad luck, I guess. As I was saying, I'm not a big fan of silence. Most of the time, if I can start a conversation, I will. That being said, you said you wanted to get to know me. Do you have anything that you would like to ask me about besides the fact that I use Beacon Chat?"

Qrow set his fork down, then laced his finger together and put them under his chin as he rested his elbows on the table. "That's a fair question. Alright, how do you feel about my niece?"

"Which one?"

"Both of them, I suppose."

"Well, both of them have their faults, but no one is without those, I suppose. Ruby can be indecisive, loud-mouthed, and hyperactive to an annoying extent, but she can also be very forgiving and caring." Weiss looked to see Qrow's reaction, which was a simple nod of his head. "Yang, on the other hand, is foul-mouthed, quick-tempered, and can be nearly shameless. However, I've also seen her be very understanding. They are both very good friends of mine, though Ruby is my best friend."

Pleased with the answer, Qrow leaned back and smiled. "Good answer, Schnee. But… what about your faunus teammate, hm? Given your family's history, I'm curious to hear your opinion about the whole thing."

Weiss ate the last bite of food on her plate, then placed her silverware down and took a deep breath. "I don't agree with it. Any of it. Don't get me wrong, I still have strong feelings about the White Fang, but I'm more than aware of my father's… _dealings_. I would like to pretend that it doesn't happen, but I can't his unjust treatment of faunus disgusts me. A few years ago I may have shared some of his views, but after being here at Beacon, I've come to my own beliefs and they don't align with his in the slightest."

" _Huh, that's better than what I was hoping for."_ Qrow pulled out his flask and took a drink, then took notice of the look Weiss was giving him. "What?"

"Oh, nothing." _"Except for the fact that it isn't even noon yet and you're drinking."_ "Is there anything else you would like to know? I would like to get back to the dorm and study at some point."

Qrow thought about her words for a few moments before waving his hand and standing up. "Nah, you're free to go." He pushed his chair away from the table and stood up, but stopped himself from walking away. "Just one more thing. Why did you get Beacon Chat? You don't have to answer, I'm just a bit curious about why you decided to get a dating app."

"Normally, that sort of thing wouldn't be found on my scroll, but Yang talked me into it. She was rather adamant about the whole thing for some reason. So, I guess you could attribute my having it back to her. Anything else?"

" _Funny. Ruby told me basically the same thing."_ Qrow took yet another drink from his flask and pulled it away from his lips with a smacking noise. "No, go ahead and leave. Tell Ruby and Yang I said hey."

"Well, you could tell me yourself."

Weiss and Qrow turned to their side to see Ruby smiling at them happily and waving. "Hey, guys. Whatcha doing?"

Before Weiss could say anything, Qrow answered her question. "Nothing, really. I ran into Weiss here while I was getting breakfast and decided to chat with her for a bit. But, seeing as you're here now, I'll take my leave. See ya later, Ruby. If y'all see Yang before I do, tell her I want to talk to her about something." The hunter waved goodbye as he walked out of the cafeteria and out of sight.

As he disappeared down a hallway, Ruby turned to Weiss. "So, what did the two of you talk about? He didn't give you a hard time about anything, did he?"

"No, not really. By the way, what are you doing here? I figured you would be sleeping for a while longer," Weiss said as she stood up from the table.

"Well, I woke up and didn't see you. I checked the library first, but you weren't there so I came here. I remembered seeing you sleeping at the desk last night after I asked you to help me study, then I stayed out all night. I really wanted to find you and apologize and make sure you're feeling okay after sleeping in that chair. I put the blanket around you, but that's not enough to make that comfortable."

Weiss let out a sigh and placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "There's no need to apologize. I fell asleep studying for myself, so it was my fault. However, if you would like to study today, I would be happy to help you. I was about to go do that myself."

"Great!" The girls' conversation was interrupted by Ruby's stomach growling incredibly loudly. "Just, um, let me get some food in me first."

Weiss couldn't fight the small giggle working its way out of her mouth. "Very well. Don't keep me waiting too long."

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

 **Aaaand here's the second part. Sorry for the short chapter again, but as I said last time, this was one chapter that got split in half due to time constraints. Next chapter will be longer. See y'all then.**

 **:D**


	13. The Game

"Wait, wasn't that the year before?"

"No, it was three years after. It was the most drastic and controversial military decision of that time."

"Right, right. The leading commander was General… Azul?"

"Correct. That's one more point."

After Ruby and Weiss had eaten breakfast, they had finally taken the time to study. However, while they had already been at it for a few hours, they happened to start by covering Ruby's worst subject – history. After Weiss noticed how hard her partner was struggling, she devised a plan. For every question Ruby got right, Weiss would give her a point. At twenty-five points, she got a free pass for the chocolate fountain and Weiss wouldn't stop her. Naturally, this motivated Ruby and she had started to really buckle down, though she was still having a hard time with a few things.

"Alright. Who was in charge of leading the Mistralian forces in the Battle of Wolfe Canyon," Weiss asked as she marked down a point for Ruby's previously correct answer. "Remember, this was the same year that General Azul led his armies as well."

Ruby scrunched her nose and furrowed her brow, deep in thought. She closed her eyes and searched her mind for the answer, to no avail. She then looked to Weiss, hoping to find the answer in her eyes. After accepting that she simply didn't know the answer, she let out a sigh of defeat and let her head fall, letting it land softly on the table in front of her. "I… I don't know."

Weiss jotted it down in her notebook and smiled. "Would you like to know the answer, then?"

"Yeah, I guess." Suddenly, Ruby's head shot up off the table and she stared deeply into Weiss' eyes. "Wait! It was Commander Heise!" A wide grin appeared on the scythe wielder's face as the answer registered with Weiss. "I'm right, right?"

Nodding, Weiss made a line through the note she had previously written down in her notes. "Yes, that is correct. How did you figure it out?"

"I just remembered all of the sudden. Like, I guess when I gave up, something click and I remembered that _he_ gave up too, because he surrendered that battle," Ruby said proudly. She couldn't believe that it just clicked for her in such a way. However, more importantly…

"Very well, that's another point." Weiss started to make a small mark on a piece of paper, only to stop herself. "Oh, it looks like you've hit twenty points, Ruby. Congratulations. It seems that I get to deal with you all hyped up on liquid sugar." Weiss closed her notebook and twisted around in her chair to face Ruby more comfortably. "Even though it means you get to rot your teeth even faster, I'm feeling rather hungry. Would you like to go get lunch now?"

Standing up, Ruby nodded and stretched her arms and legs, groaning as she did so. "Yeah, that sounds good to me." As Ruby and Weiss got their things together, the former of the two girls turned to face the bed behind her. "Do you two want to come or are you staying here? I can bring you something back, if you want."

Blonde hair swayed from side to side as Yang shook her head. "Nah, I think we're good for now," the blonde replied, her arm currently around Blake. "Thanks for the offer, though." Blake nuzzled closer to Yang and closed her eyes, paying no heed to the fact that Ruby was talking. "Besides, Blake isn't feeling too well right now, so I would rather stay here with her, anyway. We think she just ate something that didn't agree with her."

"Alright, suit yourself. We'll be back later. I hope you start feeling better, Blake." Ruby turned back around and smiled at her partner. "You ready to go?"

"Yes, are you?"

"Yep! Let's get this show on the road. I wanna get some chocolate!"

Yang and Blake listened to the girls' conversation until the stepped out of the room, shut the door, and their voices started to fade away. Once they are gone, Blake sat up straight and rubbed her eyes. "If you wanted to go, you should have. I would have been fine by myself. Aren't you hungry? It's been a while since breakfast this morning."

"Not really. I'd much rather be here with you, anyway. We don't get much alone time, so I'll gladly sacrifice some food to spend time with you. Just not too much food." Yang ended that statement with a wink, causing Blake to roll her eyes.

"Thanks for putting me above 'some food'. I can tell you care." Blake chuckled as she spoke. "It is nice to have some time together for once, though. I was starting to think those two weren't ever going to get out of here." Blake stretched her arms and arched her back while yawning. "Sorry that I'm not feeling very well."

As she pulled the faunus closer, Yang gently pat the top of her head. "Don't worry about it. Just being here with you is enough for me." The blonde then pulled out her scroll. "Do you feel up to watching a movie?"

"Sure."

"Cool." Yang began to go through the movies on her scroll until she found one that appealed to both her and Blake. They started it and got roughly thirty minutes into the film, but they were interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the door. "Oh, great." She put her scroll away and stood up, then gave Blake a quick kiss on the forehead before making her way to the door and opening it, revealing a tall, dark-haired man, flask in hand. "Uncle Qrow?"

The hunter smirked. "Hey there, firecracker. I think we need to have a little chat."

* * *

"Alright, Ruby. Just because I said I wouldn't stop you from getting into the chocolate fountain doesn't mean you should get an entire bowl of it. You're going to make yourself sick." Weiss set her tray of food down on a nearby table and sat down. "Honestly, just because you could doesn't mean that you should." The heiress shook her head as she taken a bite of food. _"Dolt."_

"Relax, it'll be fiiine. Besides, it's not like I haven't eaten this much chocolate before. You should have seen me during Halloween the year before I came to Beacon. _That_ was the last time I got sick off something sweet." Ruby grabbed a small plate of strawberries she had grabbed and scooted it closer to the bowl of chocolate. She took one in her hand and dipped it in the dark liquid and smiled as she pulled it up, a trail of chocolate dripping off it. She popped the chocolate covered fruit in her mouth and smiled. "This is really good, Weiss. Do you want to try it?"

As she scooped another bite of food on to her fork, Weiss shook her head. "No. While I appreciate the offer, I've never been too keen on sweets. The occasional indulgence every once is a while is fine, but I could never bring myself to eat something like that. It's far too much for my liking."

"Fine, suit yourself," Ruby said as she dipped another strawberry into the bowl and popped it in her mouth. "That just means more for me."

Before either girl could say anything else, their scrolls began to ring. They both pulled them out rather hastily, thinking they had received a message on Beacon Chat, but they were both disappointed. It was actually just a student wide message from the school.

 _ **Students, do not forget that classes start back tomorrow. I understand that these last few days have been nice and relaxing, but take your education into account. After all, it's why you're all here in the first place.**_

Ruby and Weiss groaned as they set their devices down on the table. They had only said hello to their friends today and, while they didn't necessarily want to talk to them _now_ , they wouldn't mind having a small conversation with them at some point. However, neither of them were willing to send the first message to start said conversation, taking great care to not get on their friend's nerves.

"So," Weiss began, drawing Ruby's attention away from her food. "Where would you like to start when we get back? I would like to help you cover at least one more subject before we finish studying. Is there anything that you're having particular trouble with?"

Ruby pondered the question as a large, strawberry-shaped bulge rested in her left cheek. She shrugged as she chewed her food and swallowed it. "I'm not sure. I usually have trouble with History, but I don't think I'm in any trouble in any of my other classes. But if you're still willing to help me, we could go over Grimm studies."

Weiss raised an eyebrow curiously. "Grimm studies? Isn't that your second best subject behind combat training? Why would you need help with it?"

"Well, I'll always need someone to go over my notes with me. Besides, I, um..." Ruby's face turned a very light shade of pink. "I've had a lot of fun with you today, just… hanging out and everything. Even though we've been studying, I've had a good time." The hooded girl looked up at her partner with deep, silver eyes. "Would you be willing to go over it with me? I would just like to make sure I have everything down. If not, it's okay. Just thought I'd ask about it."

" _It's been fun?"_ The heiress nodded as she took the last bite of food on her plate. "I suppose I wouldn't mind, if you really value my opinion on Grimm studies that much. Although, I'm sure everything you have down is fine. You normally do quite well in that subject."

"Like I said, I just want your opinion on it. Just for some peace of mind, y'know?"

"Very well, I'll take a look at them once we get back to the dorm."

"Awesome! Thanks, Weiss."

"You're welcome."

* * *

After Ruby and Weiss finished eating, they made their way back to the dorm and were now studying. It was only the two of them, as they found a note from Yang that said her and Blake would be gone for a while due to Qrow coming by and taking them out for dinner. They didn't know when they would be back. So they decided to leave the door unlocked if they weren't back by bedtime. Their penalty, however, was a lecture from Weiss about staying out late on a school night.

Once the pair got their studying materials set up, Weiss pulled up a chair to her desk and sat down. She opened a textbook and turned to a specific page, then turned to Ruby, who was standing silently beside her. "Okay. If you want me to look at your notes, now's the time, if you still think it's necessary."

Ruby nodded as she walked to her bed and pulled a notebook off the top of it, then pulled a few loose pages out of it. "I do."

"Alright, if you insist," Weiss said as she held out her hand, waiting for Ruby to hand her the notes she had taken. "Honestly, I wish you were this committed to some of your other studies." As Ruby handed her the paper, she cleared a flat place on her desk. Once done, she placed the notes in a line and was quickly impressed at the sheer amount of information. She had never really took notice of Ruby's notes before. She had taken the occasional glance during a few classes, but only saw a few sentences here and there. "Just by looking at how extensive these are, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Are you sure," Ruby nervously asked. She had never stopped wanting to be a good leader, and if she could pass her test she would be setting a great example for her team. However, she had another agenda. It was a rather important test, and if she could get the top grade, it would impress Weiss. She wasn't sure why, but that was very important to her. She simply attributed it to a need to show her that she had the smarts that were worthy of leading a team.

Sighing, Weiss began to take a closer look at the paper. "Almost entirely, but if it would make you feel better, I'll look at them more closely." The heiress heard a sigh of relief come from the girl next to her and smiled. _"I don't know why she is so hung up on this, but seeing her make such an effort is a very nice sight."_

"Thanks a lot."

A few minutes passed and Weiss finished studying the notes. "Well, I stand by my previous statement. You'll be just fine. Maybe even more than fine. I believe you could get one of the top grades if you took these to heart."

Ruby's face lit up at the words. "Really?!"

"Yes, however, you still need to _study_ them. Seeing as how that's the subject we're on now, I could help you, if you want."

Suddenly, Ruby saw another opportunity. "Really, does that mean that we can play that game again? I would love another trip to the chocolate fountain."

"No. I won't sit here while you stuff your face with what is essentially liquid sugar. You'll be bouncing off the walls."

"Fine," Ruby said disappointingly. She pulled up a chair to the desk and sat down, then placed her chin in one of her palms and puffed out on of her cheeks. "Alright, I guess I'm ready then. Ask me a question about something."

"Alright." Weiss looked at the paper, then back to her partner. "What was the-"

"Wait." Ruby interjected. "What if… What if I got something else that _wasn't_ a trip to the cafeteria?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow curiously, wondering what Ruby could be thinking of. "I suppose that would depend on what it is. Does it involve some other type of sweet? I won't let you win the game with a simple loophole."

"No, it's nothing like that. It has nothing to do with food. Well, unless we get hungry."

Now she had the heiress' full attention. "What do you mean 'if we get hungry'?"

Ruby smiled and placed both hands on the table, then stood up. "If I win, you have to come to town with me tomorrow for the whole day. We can go shopping, see a movie, go to a restaurant, anything! But it has to be for the whole day tomorrow! After school, obviously. I could even take you by my favorite weapon store! They have dust, too, so you could look at what they have for Myrtynaster!"

Weiss pondered the thought. She knew that Ruby wouldn't have made such a bold statement without knowing that she had the 'game' in the bag and Weiss knew she could answer almost every question she threw at her about Grimm. But after thinking about Ruby's proposal, she came to a decision. " _How bad could it be?"_ She took a deep breath as she started to think of questions she could ask. She knew that Ruby was probably going to win, but she wasn't going to make it easy for her. "Alright, deal."

"So, are you going to ask me something just stare at me?"

" _Pretty cocky there, Ruby, let's fix that."_ Weiss cleared her throat then opened her mouth slowly. "What… is the most effective way to kill a Goliath?"

"Psht, that's easy. You slice the back of their knees and it brings them down so you can finish them off."

Weiss smirked. "Wrong."

"What do you mean _wrong_?"

"The fastest way to kill a Goliath, while not the safest or easiest, is with the venom of a King Taijitu. You have to act fast, as the fang will disappear after a few minutes of being separated from the body and it's the only reliable source of venom. However, it acts almost instantly against grimm, for a reason still unknown to us. _That's_ what I mean by 'wrong'."

It was then that Ruby quickly realized that this could be harder than she thought.

* * *

 **Wow, okay, I apologize again. Between several things happening _again,_ this chapter is another short one. So, sorry... again. I'll do my best to have a longer one next week.**

 **:D**


	14. Early Rise

"Alright, start talkin'." Qrow had tracked down his blonde niece and was now interrogating her about the information he had previously learned about. "I know that you talked Ruby and Weiss into getting that app. All I want to know is why. I'm pretty curious as to why you wanted them to both get it."

Yang, dumbfounded that her uncle was confronting her about something she never thought he would know about, stammered and backed up slowly. "I-I-I d-don't know what you're talking about..." She walked backward until she bumped into Blake's bed and fell backward. However, instead of falling completely, she just sat down sharply and gasped.

"Be careful. You almost landed on me." Blake said flatly. The faunus returned to the book that had been holding her attention as Qrow walked over to Yang, pulling a nearby chair along with him as he went. Once he was directly in front of her, he spun the chair around, sat down, and pulled out his flask. "Y'know, I won't ask again. It's so easy to tell Ruby and Weiss that you talked both of them into getting that weird thing for some reason." The hunter smirked. "I'm sure they'd _love_ to hear all about it."

Yang's expression changed from one of shock to one of pleading. "Okay, okay! I'll tell you! Just don't tell them!"

"Excellent. Now spill."

The blonde took a deep breath before she started talking again. "Well, I've seen them a lot. Blake has too. They like each other. I know they do and so does just about everyone else. But Ruby and Weiss just can't freakin' see it. I just wanted to shake those two until they saw what's right in front of them."

Qrow took a sip from his flask and nodded. "Go on."

"So, I wanted to sort of… nudge them in the right direction, I guess." Yang began to slowly spin her thumbs around each other. "It started out small. We would always make sure that they were alone as much as possible, give them excuses to go somewhere together, stuff like that. They got closer, but that was it. So, we thought of something to get them together."

Qrow leaned forward and locked eyes with Yang. "And that would be what, exactly?"

"I talked to Ren and Fox, two of my friends, and I asked them about a few things. I found out that they were good at computer stuff. So, I… asked them to make an app. It's an anonymous app that matches someone with a random person to talk to. At least, that's what I told Ruby and Weiss."

Qrow took another drink from his flask as his stare intensified. "What was it really?"

"We kinda tipped the scales in our favor. It isn't random. It's only for Ruby and Weiss. You can't even download it anymore. As soon as they got it, I asked Ren to make it where no one else could get it."

A sly grin spread across the hunter's face. "I see. Well, I gotta hand it to you, kid. That takes quite the scheming brain. I suppose you get that from your mother." Qrow noticed Yang wince at the mention of her mother, so he quickly changed the subject. "Besides all that, what happens if they get bored, huh? What if they want to talk to someone else, then what?"

Yang smiled and held up her scroll. "We've got that covered. If they try that, a few of us have a special version of it on our scrolls. If they queue up for another conversation, we'll get an alert and be able to intercept it. Fake accounts, basically."

"You know, your dad would probably be very disapproving of this whole thing. Buuut… I'd say it shows a lot of, um, what's the word… Ambition? No, that's not it. Regardless, I won't rat ya out." Qrow stood up and started to head out the door. "However, this is pretty manipulative of you. Just try not to take it too far. I guess it might be too late for that, though..." Qrow stared at the flask in his hand. "That could lead to some bad stuff down the line." He shook his head slightly and smiled. "Anyway, I won't be here much longer. I've got a mission lined up that I need to get to. But, seeing as how your sister and her possible girlfriend aren't here, how about I take you two out to dinner? My treat. I'm not big on paying for five people, but three isn't a problem. Besides, I wouldn't mind getting to know Blake a little better."

"What do you think, Blake?" Yang looked back at her girlfriend, who shrugged and closed her book.

"I could eat."

"Cool." Yang stood up and grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil, then wrote a quick note for Weiss and Ruby explaining their absence. Once she was done, she linked arms with Blake, then followed Qrow out of the dorm.

* * *

The next day, Ruby was the first to wake up. She rose out of her bed slowly as her bed sheets slid off her shoulders and gently fell into her lap. As she brought up a hand to rub her eyes, she glanced at her scroll to see what time it was. _"Huh, it's almost seven. That's a little earlier than I planned, but whatever."_ Ruby let out a huge yawn and swung her legs off the side of her bed, then slid off the side until her feet hit the carpeted floor of her dorm room. Once her feet made contact with the floor, the sound of someone stirring caught her attention.

"Hrm..." Ruby spun around quickly, but silently, and stared at the girl who had been sleeping beneath her. Weiss' hair was a tangled mess and covered half of her face. After a few moments of mumbling incoherently in her sleep, she rolled onto her side and quieted down.

Ruby couldn't help but smile at the sight. Normally, Weiss or Blake was the first one to wake up. But Ruby took great joy in seeing the girl who took great care to make herself prim and proper be so disheveled. Especially since the events of last night were still fresh in her mind.

The two girls played their "game", and while Weiss gave Ruby a run for her money, the scythe wielder still emerged victorious, which meant Weiss owed her a night on the town. Humming quietly to herself, Ruby spun on her heel and began to make her way toward the bathroom after grabbing a change of clothes, but stopped short as another sound distracted her. She glanced to her side and saw Yang sitting up in Blake's bed, hair disheveled and eyes half open.

The sight caught Ruby off guard. Yang was almost never up this early. In fact, Ruby couldn't remember the last time she saw her awake before eight-thirty. "Yang, you're… awake?"

Yang stretched her arms in front of her and craned her head to the side, then let out a yawn. "I won't stay this way, but Blake drove her knee into my ribs and woke me up." The blonde checked the time on her scroll, then looked at her sister inquisitively. "Wait, why are _you_ up so early? Classes don't start for a couple hours."

"Well, I just so happen to have plans after school. So, I wanted to get some stuff ready before I had to go to class," Ruby said as she walked closer to the bathroom door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a shower. Talk to ya later, sis."

Yang waved the girl away as she laid back down next to her dark-haired girlfriend. "Yeah, later." As the blonde laid down, Ruby stepped into the bathroom and gently shut the door behind her, careful not to make enough noise to wake her teammates.

After the door shut, Ruby slid out of her pajamas and started to put on the clothing that she hated – her uniform. It wasn't that it was uncomfortable or ugly, she actually liked its appearance quite a bit, but if she had to put it on that meant she had to go to class. That was something she was not happy about. Sighing heavily she straightened her outfit out and took one last look at herself in the mirror, then walked back out into the dorm.

Ruby's eyes scanned the room. Her team was still sleeping and she had no desire to wake them up and suffer their wrath, so she slipped on her shoes and walked quietly out of the dorm with her next destination being the cafeteria.

When the door for the dorm shut, one of Weiss' eyelids slowly opened. She observed the room and figured it wasn't quite worth getting out of bed just yet, as the room was still rather dark, which meant that the sun hadn't risen completely yet. The heiress rolled onto her side and yawned, then closed her eyes and breathed deeply. However, both of her eyes shot open after a few minutes. _"Damn it. I can't get back to sleep."_

Slowly and almost unwillingly, Weiss sat up in her bed. She rubbed one eye with a loose fist, then pulled off her blanket and threw her legs to the side of her bed, letting them dangle off the side. She then pulled her scroll off her bedside table and attempted to check the time. The task was more difficult than she expected, due to her having trouble focusing since her eyes were still trying to close, despite the fact that she couldn't go back to sleep.

Groaning at the fact that it was only seven thirty, she placed her feet on the floor and stood up, shivering slightly as the cold air of the room blew up her nightgown. _"Did Yang turn down the air conditioning again? It's freezing in here."_ Normally, Weiss didn't mind the cold, but it bothered her when it was early in the morning. It reminded her of Atlas, which was something she tried to avoid thinking about. She shook the thoughts from her head and grabbed her uniform out of her dresser. _"I might as well get dressed and get breakfast, seeing as I have nothing better to do."_

She made her way to the bathroom and disrobed, then glanced at the shower. She checked the time on her scroll one more, then shrugged and made her way to the shower. She turned the knob until hot water started to come out of the faucet, then waited for the bathroom to steam up. Before long, a thin mist had settled in the bathroom and she stepped into the shower, a happy sigh making its way past her lips as she did so.

The warm water and steam quickly pushed all thoughts of Atlas out of her mind. Once she was done bathing herself, she simply stood underneath the continuous stream of warmth. _"I really don't want to get out, but I suppose I should save some water for the others. Especially Ruby. I know she likes her long showers."_

Weiss then stepped out, toweled off, then got dressed in her uniform. She gave her appearance a once over in the mirror, then walked out, happy with how she looked. But when she came out, she was hit with a small surprise when her gaze drifted to Ruby's bed and she noticed that her partner wasn't in it. In fact, after looking around the room, she noticed that Ruby wasn't even in the dorm. She didn't hear the door open or close, which meant that Ruby woke up and left the dorm before she even opened her eyes. _"Why in the world would she be awake at this hour? And where would she be?"_

Electing to ask her about it when she saw her next and worry about it later, Weiss decided to head to the cafeteria as her stomach let out an audible growl. She made sure she had her scroll, then headed out of the dorm. Then she got another surprise. Her scroll rang. She pulled it up and realized that she now had a message from Red.

 ** _Hey, I know it's early. Just wanted to say good morning. Sorry in advance if this woke you up._**

A smile weakly tugged at the corners of the heiress' mouth as she stared at the message. The previous day, they had only exchanged hellos, so she was happy to see another text from Red, even if it was early in the morning. While she thought of a reply, a question popped into her head.

W: **Actually, I was already awake. But I didn't expect to get a message from anyone this early. Is there a particular reason you're up at this hour?**

Right after she hit send, Weiss regretted the question. At first, it sounded like an innocent question to her, but the more she thought about it, the more it bugged her. After all, _she_ was awake this early. And while it was commonplace for her, it could also be a regular occurrence for Red as well. The question seemed to be a bit nosy, so she quickly started to type a follow-up message, but received one from Red before she could finish it. As she read it, all her fears dissipated.

 ** _Oh, just getting some breakfast. I have plans later today, so I wanted to get a few things out of the way before class started so I didn't have to worry about them later._**

" _How responsible. Why do tomorrow what you could do today? I wish Ruby's mindset was more like that at times."_

 ** _What about you? Why are you up so early?_**

It was a fair question and Weiss knew it. She had just asked the exact same question, but for some reason it annoyed her. _"Calm down, Weiss. They are asking a simple question. Just answer it in a nice manner."_ She texted her reply as she turned down a hallway.

W: **I woke up more than a little hungry, so I'm heading to the cafeteria for some breakfast.**

Within moments, Weiss had another message. She read it and she felt like her heart jumped into her throat, though she wasn't sure why. Her fingers rested gently on the keyboard of her scroll as she read the message over and over. She didn't know why she was panicking, but she was. She couldn't decide whether to turn around and go back to the dorm, or to power through her anxiety and continue on her current path. She took a deep breath and read the message one more time.

 ** _Really? Awesome! I'm eating in the cafeteria this morning! Would you wanna meet up and eat together? It would be cool to meet you in person. :)_**

* * *

The first thing Blake saw when she opened her eyes was darkness, which made her blink several times to make sure her eyes were actually open. After a brief moment of thinking she could have somehow gone blind, she smelled lilacs. Once the scent hit her nose, she realized that there was something on her face and it seemed to be the source of the smell. The faunus slowly grabbed a handful of the stuff on her face and pulled it up.

Yellow hair.

Sighing, she sat up and watched as the tangled, yellow locks fell from her face and torso, and landed in her lap. Looking to her left, was her girlfriend. Yang's mouth was wide open and she was snoring very lightly. If not for the small trail of drool coming out of the corner of her mouth, Blake would have thought the sight was rather cute. _"Yang, how do you produce so much spit in your sleep?"_

Blake then started to pull the blankets off herself and get out of bed, but was stopped as an arm wrapped itself around her waist and pulled her back down. She would have been able to easily get up, had Yang not started to nuzzle into the back of her neck – her weakness. "C'mon, Blakey, ten more minutes," the blonde groaned.

"Yang, we have classes today. We don't have the luxury of 'ten more minutes'." Blake's words expressed necessity, but her tone radiated unwillingness. "We need to get out of bed."

The brawler then wrapped another arm around the faunus and pulled her closer. "Are you sure about that? Because I… wait a second." Yang pressed her ear to Blake's upper back and grinned. "Are you… purring?" She felt Blake tense up at the question.

Blake's ears laid flat on her head and she nuzzled further into Yang's embrace, giving up on the fight to get out of bed. "You will tell no one of this."

Chuckling softly, Yang nodded. "Alright, kitty cat. You got it."

The two girls stayed that way for several minutes until something occurred that would force them out of the dorm – hunger. Yang's stomach growled ferociously, surprising Blake, who turned around in the bed and looked at her girlfriend's stomach. "Maybe you should feed that thing. It sounds angry."

"Ha ha, very funny."

"Thank you. I try my best."

Yang opened her mind for a retort, but was cut short as her scroll rang. She looked at Blake with a puzzled expression, the grabbed her scroll and looked at it. The first thing she noticed was that she had two messages. The second thing she noticed was what the messages said. Her eyebrows raised and she stared into Blake's eyes. "Cafeteria. Now."

Now it was Blake's turn to be confused. "What? Why?"

Yang slowly raised her scroll until Blake could see the messages on it. "This is why."

Ruby: **I'M ABOUT TO MEET BLUE WHAT DO I DO COME HELP ME PLEASE I'M FREAKING OUT**

Weiss: **I… I think I'm about to meet Red. As much as I regret asking this, will you help me?**

Blake nodded and reciprocated Yang's expression. "Right. I'll get dressed."

* * *

 **Wow... almost a month. I'm so sorry for making you guys wait for so long. This chapter would have been out last week, but a pretty nasty storm came through the area and really messed up some stuff - including several things on my computer. On top of that, I've been getting ready for RTX, so I haven't been writing as much as usual. With that in mind, I am leaving tomorrow for Austin (YAY!), and I'll be there until Monday. Won't have much time to write, so there won't be a chapter next week, unfortunately. I'm sorry again, you guys are awesome for the support and I hope y'all understand. Alright, enough rambling. Later.**

 **:D**


	15. Running Interference

"Quick, we have to get this taken care of!" Yang exclaimed to her girlfriend as she frantically texted her sister. "They can't meet yet, they're not ready! It could be a disaster!" The panic-stricken blonde attempted to put on her shoes as her fingers quickly glided over the keyboard on her scroll, only for it to fall out of her hands.

Seeing Yang scramble to pick it up, Blake walked over and swiftly picked it up and handed it to her. "Yang, calm down. There's no point in stressing over this. I agree that it is too early for them to meet and have anything come out of it, but you need to relax."

Yang took the scroll and finished the message she had been typing, then took a slow breath. "I know, I know. But I just want them to be happy. This could be the best shot they have at each other and we had to make it happen. If this thing gets messed up, who knows what would happen? They might never figure out how they feel about each other and years from know they'll be filled with 'what-ifs' and emptiness."

A small chuckle forced its way out of Blake's mouth. "Wow, have you been reading my romance novels? You are taking this far too seriously. I highly doubt this will be a decision that they regret for the rest of their lives." Blake's ears twitched and she looked at the door. "How about this: I'll go talk Weiss out of this little venture and you can go talk to Ruby. Does that work?"

Yang smiled and let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, that'll do. Thanks, Blake. From what they told me, Ruby's in the cafeteria and Weiss is pretty close. If we go two separate directions and make sure they don't see each other, everything should be fine." Once she made sure she was ready to go, Yang looked up at Blake and smiled. "Ready?"

Blake nodded firmly. "Ready as ever."

"Then let's get this show on the road."

As soon as the door opened, Blake and Yang headed two opposite directions. The plan was for them to go in what was essentially a circle. That way, that wouldn't cross paths and it would make their actions less suspicious. The two girls waved as they parted ways and disappeared from each other's sight.

* * *

The only sound Ruby could hear was the sound of the clocks ticking. It seemed to pulsate through her entire body, even to the point of making it feel like there was something caught in her throat. No, wait. That was her heartbeat. It had quickened significantly since she read the answer to her question she had previously sent.

 _ **That sounds fine. It would be nice to have a face for the name. I'll be in the cafeteria shortly. I'll message you when I'm there.**_

Ruby herself had sent the message asking to meet up, so why was she suddenly so nervous about the encounter? After all, she had been talking to Blue for a while now. There was no reason she should be freaking out, but she was, and it was driving her crazy.

"Miss, is that all?"

The scythe wielder jerked her head up and she locked eyes with a woman behind one of the many counters at the cafeteria. Ruby then glanced at her tray, then back to the woman. "Y-Yes, this is it."

"Very well," The woman said as she punched several buttons on a rickety cash register in front of her. "That'll be twelve lien."

Nodding slowly, Ruby handed the money to the woman, grabbed her tray of food and started to make her way to the nearest empty table. Once she reached the table, she gently placed her tray down, which didn't stop it from making a loud clang due to her hands suddenly shaking. She took a deep breath as she pulled out a chair to sit down. _"Okay, calm down, Ruby. There's nothing to worry about."_ Ruby then pulled out her scroll and set it down next to her tray, waiting for the message from Blue telling her that she had arrived.

After a few moments, Ruby tried to calm herself down by eating, which didn't work. The fork in her hand shook as she raised it to her mouth, but by the time she was about to take a bite, it had barely any food left on it. _"Maybe I should call this thing off. Besides, I've got plans with Weiss later. I don't want to freak out over this and not be ready for tonight."_

Ruby grabbed her scroll off the table and started to type a message, only to hear someone call her name before she could hit the send button.

"Hey, Ruby!"

The brunette's head jerked upward as she scanned the cafeteria for the source of the somewhat familiar voice. "Um..." A few seconds passed before she finally found the person calling out to her. Long, wavy, black hair topped with a bow came into view as Ruby's partner came into her line of sight. "Oh, Blake. What are you doing here? I was actually expecting someone else..."

Blake pulled out a chair and sat across from Ruby, then laced her fingers together. "Yang sent me. She would have come herself, but she is busy at the moment." The faunus quickly took notice of Ruby's nervousness. She was avoiding eye contact, staring at nothing except her food. "So, you're supposed to be meeting your new friend, huh?"

Ruby nodded silently.

"Are you ready for that? I know you guys have been talking for a while, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to meet them, but are you sure that now's the time for something like that?"

"… I don't know," Ruby said as she slowly poked at her breakfast with a fork. "I mean, I want to, but at the same time, I'm having second thoughts. I've never been good at making new friends, but talking to someone online is completely different. I didn't have to actually _meet_ them, y'know? I wasn't ever nervous about it until now."

"Then why not cancel? I'm sure they would understand. After all, you're friends, right? Surely they wouldn't be mad at you over something like this."

Shrugging, Ruby continued to prod at her food. "Maybe. It's just, I know that I'm good friends with them and everything, but this feels… different, I guess."

"Different how?"

Ruby's face grew a light shade of red after Blake asked her question. "W-Well, I mean, I know that I don't know their name and all, but I've talked to them _a lot_. And, for some reason, I just feel different about them. It's like they don't _feel_ like a friend to me. It's almost like-"

"A crush." Blake said flatly.

"You d-don't have to say it out loud!" Ruby clamped her hand over her mouth, as the volume of her voice surprised her. "But, Do you think that's what it is? I don't even know their name."

Blake smiled and leaned forward, placing her chin in one hand and balancing her elbow on the other. "Ruby, I've been in your shoes before. The way you're acting, the way you're thinking, all this nervousness about meeting – it's normal. I felt the exact same way you do now about your sister. I don't think it matters whether or not you know their name."

The statement appeared to put Ruby at ease, if only a little bit. "Really?"

"Yes, really. And if you're nervous – if you don't think you're ready to meet them, then don't. Tell them you want to wait, or tell them you had plans you had forgotten about if you don't want to hurt their feelings."

Ruby then stared at her scroll and looked at the message she had started to type before Blake arrived.

R: **Hey. I know I asked if you wanted to meet, but do you think we can do it another time? I don't want you to be mad, but I'm kinda nervous about it now, haha. Sorry about this.**

"Well, I actually had this typed up before you got here. Do you think it would be okay to send this one?" Ruby held up her scroll so Blake could see the message.

"Yes, I think that would be fine."

Ruby's finger hovered over the send button for several seconds before she finally mustered enough courage to press it, then let out a long sigh. After the message sent, she looked up at her teammate for the first time since she had sat down and smiled weakly. "Thanks, Blake."

"You're welcome." Blake then gently pushed herself away from the table and stood up. "Well, I'm gonna get back to Yang. I'm sure she's wondering what happened."

"Alright. What was she doing, anyway? You said she was busy, so I assume it was something important."

"Oh, well, she, uh..." Blake's mind was racing as she tried to think of a valid reason Yang wouldn't be able to come here herself. "She had to go to the bathroom and… um… "take care of things. Said she might be a while."

Ruby snickered. "Oh, okay. I get it. Thanks again. Tell Yang that I'll see her later."

"Alright." With that, Blake walked out of the cafeteria and headed back to the dorm, leaving Ruby alone to eat breakfast and hoping that Yang's talk with Weiss went just as smoothly as hers.

* * *

"Hey, princess!"

Weiss turned around to see a blur of yellow quickly growing closer to her. _"Ah, There she is."_ The blur suddenly became much clearer as it slowed briefly before coming to a complete stop in front of the heiress. Hands worked their way through the tangled, blonde hair as Yang revealed herself. "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up at all. You could have texted me to let me know you were coming, at least."

"Sorry," Yang said through heavy breaths. "I just wanted to get here really fast and I can't exactly text while I'm running. Well, I could, but it would be really hard. It probably would have been a big ol' jumble of letters that wouldn't make any sense."

Weiss scoffed and pulled out her scroll. "Whatever. Look, I am not exactly calm about this whole thing, so I could use some advice. I know I'm not the … _nicest_ person out there, so I would like to know how to tone that down a bit."

Once Yang's breathing returned to normal after her sprint across campus, she placed her hands on her hips and locked eyes with Weiss. "Well, just don't act like you normally do. That should do the trick," The blonde said with a smirk.

"Ha ha, very funny. I'm serious, Yang. Besides, isn't the normal advice for meeting new people 'be yourself'? It seems contradictory that you would tell me to do the exact opposite of that."

Yang sighed and threw an arm around Weiss. "Look, you've been talking to them for a while, right?"

"Yes, I have."

"And you're still nervous about meeting them?"

"Yes."

"Then maybe now's not the time to meet. Besides, you didn't exactly sound thrilled about it in your message earlier. I could tell you were nervous before I even got here." Yang removed her arm from Weiss and returned it to her hip. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to, y'know, postpone your little get together for now. How did this happen anyway? Did you ask them to meet you or somethin'?"

Weiss shook her head. "No, I simply told them I was heading to the cafeteria to get breakfast and they mentioned that they were doing the same thing. So, they asked if I was interested in eating with them. At the time I thought it was a good idea, so I told them that I was fine with it. But now..."

"Now what?"

The heiress hung her head and stared at her scroll with a pensive expression. "Now I'm having second thoughts. We have been talking for a while, but I don't know about this whole thing. I've never been one to make the best first impression."

"Psh, it sounds like you're bragging about it."

Weiss shot her blonde teammate a glare. "You know I'm not, but that doesn't make it untrue. Even back when I first came here, I could have been nicer to Ruby. She was a clumsy fool at the time, but everything that happened that day was an accident. And I still berated her for it, knowing she didn't mean any harm."

Yang's face softened and she pulled Weiss in for a hug, something that caught Weiss off-guard. "That might be true, but you've changed a lot over the past three years, Weiss. Hell, we all have. I have faith in you that you can meet someone and come off as the nice person I know you are. Even if that person is buried underneath a ton of ice."

"Yang-"

"Hang on, I'm not finished yet. Even with all that said, if you're uncomfortable with meeting someone, then don't. Tell them you need a little time before something like this."

"Yang-"

"Almost done. I thi-"

Before Yang could continue, Weiss pried herself out of the blonde's grasp, gasping for air. "I wasn't trying to interrupt you, I was trying to tell you that I was being suffocated," Weiss exclaimed, annoyance present in her voice. "You need to be more mindful when your hugging people."

"Oh, sorry."

Weiss closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as she took a quick, deep breath and let it out slowly. "That being said, I did appreciate the gesture."

Yang smiled. "There, ya see? The old Weiss would have never forgiven me for something like that. But I still say you should wait on meeting that friend of yours until you feel ready."

"I suppose you're right. I guess I'll need to message them an-" Weiss was cut off by the sound of her scroll ringing. As she held it up and read the new message she had just received, a wave of relief washed over her. "Well, it seems that I won't have to do anything."

Yang raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What are you talking about?" Weiss held up her scroll so that Yang could see the message.

 _ **Hey. I know I asked if you wanted to meet, but do you think we can do it another time? I don't want you to be mad, but I'm kinda nervous about it now, haha. Sorry about this.**_

"Oh. So, now the question is: How do you feel about that?"

Weiss shrugged. "I'm not sure. I feel disappointed, but relieved at the same time. The latter is a much stronger feeling, as well."

Yang grinned and gently pat Weiss back several times. "Well, there ya go. You just weren't ready yet. And look on the bright side of things. You guys don't even know each other's names, or what y'all look like, so you can still waltz into the cafeteria and get some food without worrying about anything."

"I guess you're right."

" _Freakin'. Nailed. It."_ Yang smiled warmly and started to walk away from Weiss. "Great. I'll see you around. I'm sure Blake is wondering where I am." However, before she could walk too far, she felt a hand grab her own. She spun around and was greeted with Weiss walking up to her and returning her previous hug. "Weiss, are you sick?"

"Shut up. Thank you, Yang. You're a great friend." Before Yang could say anything else, Weiss released her and quickly walked away. Yang watched her until the last strands of her snow white hair disappeared around a corner.

The blonde watched her walk away with a smile. _"You're welcome."_

* * *

As Weiss walked into the cafeteria, she heard her name from across the room. Leaving it as her imagination playing tricks on her, she continued on her path to the counter of food toward the back of the room. However, she heard her name again. This time much louder and clearer.

"Weiss!"

She turned around and scanned the faces of the people in the cafeteria and, while some of them seemed to be talking, none of them appeared to be trying to get her atten- Oh, there it is. Ruby. Toward the east side of the room, Ruby was standing up, a big smile on her face and one hand frantically waving to the heiress.

"Weiss, come sit over here!"

Weiss held up a finger and pointed to the counter, then back to Ruby, trying to convey her words in a way Ruby would understand without her having to shout them across the room. _"I'll grab my food, then come over there. Now sit down, you're making a scene."_ The pantomiming seemed to work, as Ruby sat down quietly, though her smile was still ever present on her face, which caused a small one to work its way onto Weiss'. _"That dolt."_

Once Weiss had her food, she made her way to her partner, who had half a plate of food left and was humming to herself happily, swing her legs back and forth under her seat as she did so. As Weiss sat her tray down on the table, Ruby ceased her humming and grinned happily. "Hey, Weiss. Good morning!"

"Good morning, Ruby. I was wondering where you were. I don't normally see you up this early. Is this a special occasion, or something of the sort?"

Ruby shook her head as she quickly chewed and swallowed a bite of food. "Not really. I had plans to get a few things ready for tonight, but I had some, uh, _issues_ this morning, so I couldn't get certain things done. So, I think we're gonna have to pick another day to go to town."

"Oh, I had forgotten about that. Well, there's always tomorrow."

"Yeah."

The two girls quickly finished their food, then walked out of the cafeteria together. Once they were in the hallway, Weiss pulled out her scroll and checked the time. "Well, I think we should get back to the dorm. That way, we can make sure Yang and Blake are getting ready for class. Plus, We could do some last minute studying if you would like to."

"Sure, sounds like a plan. Let's go."

* * *

 **Hey, guys and gals. Y'all are getting this chapter a little early and that's due to the bad news I'm about to deliver. So, I was scheduled to have a surgery late next month, but it's been moved up to next week. On top of that, I'm going out of town next week, so I won't be able to write. This time, I'll be gone more than a week. The surgery isn't anything major, but I have several other things I need to take care of too. I will TRY to have the next chapter up within thirty days and while I'm almost positive I can do that, I'm not one hundred percent sure. I just wanted to let you guys know so you weren't left wondering what happened to the story. Sorry to leave y'all hanging, but It's all I can do for now.**

 **I hope y'all understand, because I really don't like doing this. I hope I'll see y'all in the next chapter.**

 **:D**


	16. Stress Relief

"Thank you, students. You are now free to go. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask," professor Port said as he sorted a stack of finished tests. "You will be able to see your grades tomorrow. Until then, enjoy the rest of the day."

Ruby barely heard the words coming out of the mustached man's mouth. Once she turned in her paper, her mind filled with nothing but anxiety. Grimm Studies had always been her best subject, so she wasn't too worried about that one. However, she had also taken several other tests today, and those were the ones she was… less than confident about.

" _I hope I made passing grades today. I know Weiss will never let me live it down if I have to go back in for re-tests."_ Ruby hung her head as she walked out of the classroom. Once in the hall, she stepped to the side and leaned against the door frame. _"Calm down, Ruby. Weiss helped you study. You'll probably be fine. Besides, you just have to get a passing grade, not exactly an A."_

Sighing, Ruby pushed herself off the wall after a few moments and pulled out her scroll to check the time. She then put it away and started to make her way toward the student lockers. She didn't take notice of any of the faces she passed in the hallway, too absorbed in her stressed out mind to pay attention to anything except her feet.

After walking for what seemed like an eternity, she stepped through the doorway into the locker room and hastily walked to her locker. She typed in the code on a small number pad on the door of the locker, then opened it and sighed contently. The sight of Crescent Rose always seemed to help her when she was stressed. Seeing something that she had put so much work in to and having it function without issue made her realize that she was capable of things she never thought she would be.

She gently wrapped one hand around the handle as her other hand cradled the back of it. It was in its compact mode, but she still wanted to be careful with it. After she had brought it out, she fixed her harness to her waist and placed the weapon inside, then shut the door and made started to make her way to the training room in the school. She could only think of one good way of taking her mind off her schoolwork, and that was working on her "sweetheart".

She made her way through the halls of the school until she reached a set of large, wooden doors with smalls window of stained glass set in the middle of them. _"Finally here."_ She pushed open the doors and immediately saw the woman who normally taught class in the room. She was sitting at a desk with a stack of papers next to her that was similar to the stack in professor Port's class. Ruby walked up to the woman and waved cheerfully. "Hi, professor Goodwitch."

The blonde woman moved a strand of hair out of her face and pushed up her glasses. "Oh, hello, Ruby. What are you doing here?"

Ruby looked downward and softly kicked one of her feet on the floor. "Well, I was actually wondering if I could go to the repair room. I'm gonna do some maintenance on my scythe to take my mind off the whole test thing."

Glynda nodded, then handed her a small set of keys. "Very well, I see no problem with that. Just make sure that you lock up when you're done and put the keys back in my desk. I will be leaving shortly."

Ruby took the keys and started to walk toward the repair room. "Awesome. Thanks, professor." Keys in hand, Ruby crossed the large, circular room until she came to a small door. She placed the key in the lock, turned the knob, and breathed deeply. _"Ah, the smell of a workshop."_ She stepped further into the room and found a large, wooden table that had a few tools spread across it. She moved the instruments to one side, then opened her scythe and laid it on its side. _"Okay. Time to get to work."_

* * *

Meanwhile, Weiss had just gotten out of her last class for the day, her confidence leagues above that of her partner. _"Finally, that's the last test done."_ The heiress pulled out her scroll and glanced at the time, then placed it in her pocket and started to walk away from the classroom she had just left. _"Well, I suppose I should check on Ruby and ask how her tests went."_

While she made her way through the winding path from Professor Peach's classroom to team RWBY's dorm, she checked her scroll for any messages. Seeing that she had no regular texts, she decided to open up Beacon Chat and check her inbox. She hadn't received any alerts for the app, but that didn't stop her from hoping she had messages. A disappointed expression appeared on her face as she opened the app. _"Nothing. Drat."_

The conversations that Weiss had with Red were quickly becoming the highlight of her days. They didn't talk as much as she would like, but they did talk. Despite never meeting them in person, Weiss enjoyed their… "company", so to speak. It was nice to have someone to talk to that wasn't part of team RWBY or JNPR. _"Maybe I should send them a message."_ Weiss typed out a quick message, then put her scroll away as her dorm came into view.

W: **Hello.**

Weiss approached the door to her dorm and sighed as she opened the door and a wave of cool air hit her. Normally, the dorm rooms thermostat was set at a temperature that was comfortable for everyone. However, there was one person that loved to change it when they were the only person in the room. Due to their natural hot nature, they kept the thermostat incredibly low, much to Weiss' annoyance.

The heiress opened the door further and stepped into the room, her eyes scanning the room for the person she knew would be inside. After a few seconds, she found her target. "Hello, Yang. Were you feeling a bit warm, by chance?"

Upon hearing her name, Yang's head turned toward the doorway as a cheeky grin grew on her face. "Oh, hey, Weiss. Yeah, it was a bit toasty in here, so I decided to turn the air down a little. Didn't figure it would matter since no one else was here. I guess you want me to turn it back up, huh."

Weiss shook her head. "Not at the moment. I'm actually looking for your sister. Do you know where she is?"

"Uh, not really. I haven't seen her since y'all came back here this morning to study before class started."

"I see. Do you have any idea where she might be? I'd like to go over her tests with her to see how she did and make sure she's not too stressed out over the whole thing," Weiss said as a shiver ran up her spine. _"And also to get out of this cold room."_

Yang took notice of Weiss' coldness and stood up and walked over to the thermostat, then promptly turned it up. "Well, if I know my sister, she's probably working on her scythe. She has a habit of doing that when she's worried about something. She's done it for as long as she's had that thing."

Nodding in thanks, Weiss turned and began to walk out of the dorm, waving behind her as she did so with one hand while she pulled out her scroll with the other. "Thank you. I'll head over to Goodwitch's classroom then. And there's no need to adjust the thermostat. I am leaving, after all."

Yang shrugged. "Meh, I'm gonna go find Blake, anyway. This way the room won't be freezing if you and Ruby get back before I do."

It was a sweet gesture, one that took the heiress by surprise. "That's rather nice of you. Are you ill?"

Yang rolled her eyes as she walked to the doorway, playfully slapping Weiss' arm as she walked by, beating the white-haired girl out of the dorm. "Very funny. I can be nice sometimes. Let me know how Ruby's doing when you find her, yeah?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." With that, Yang turned and headed away from Weiss. "Later."

As Yang walked away to meet Blake, Weiss shut the door to the dorm and headed the opposite direction of her blonde partner and sent a quick message to Ruby.

W: **Where are you at? I would like to talk to you about the tests.**

After the text had sent, she placed her scroll in her pocket and started to walk toward where she presumed Ruby would be. After a few moments, however, she pulled out her scroll again. _"I wonder if Red ever messaged me back."_ She opened the app and was disappointed with the lack of new messages from her friend. _"I don't know what I expected. After all, I haven't received any alerts. Perhaps they're simply busy? Oh well."_ Weiss then put the device away and continued on her path to the repair room.

Weiss walked for several minutes before realizing that Ruby still hadn't messaged her back yet. At first, she chalked it up to the fact that Ruby was probably busy with Crescent Rose, but then a thought hit her. Mentally slapping herself, she stopped dead in her tracks and pulled out her scroll, then looked at the message she sent to Ruby. _"I could have worded that better. I'm sure tests are the last thing she wants to talk about."_

The heiress sighed and threw her head back, then let out a quiet groan. _"I'm such an idiot."_ Once she pulled her head forward, she noticed exactly where she was. The path from team RWBY's dorm to the repair room went right by the entrance to the cafeteria. Normally, Weiss would pay it no mind, but this was different. She had just told Ruby she wanted to discuss one of the things she hated the most. As she gazed at the large entry way of the cafeteria, she thought of a way to take Ruby's mind off her schoolwork. _"… I'll hate myself for this later."_

* * *

" _Carefully… carefully… caaaarrefuuulll- damn it!"_

Ruby dropped the soldering she was using down on the wooden table she had been working at for over an hour. Or was it under an hour? She wasn't sure. All she cared about was the stupid wires in the stupid magazine in the stupid gun part of her stupid weapon. She was trying to rig up a system that would infuse electricity in her ammo rounds without having to use lightning dust. It would pay off later, but she wasn't sure if it was worth the hassle at this point.

" _Why did I decide that_ this _is what I wanted to do to this thing. I could have added another gun mode, extra blades, made it more lightweight- but no. I had to make it shoot lightning. Dumb move, Ruby."_

Taking a deep breath, she picked up the soldering iron and returned to the group of wires she had running through her magazine slot. However, just as she got close to the wires her finger slipped and touched the scorching hot end of the soldering iron. "Crap!" She threw the tool to the floor and leaned back in the metal folding chair she was sitting in. "This is so stupid!"

"Is this a bad time?"

Ruby's head turned toward the doorway of the repair room. Weiss was standing there, her scroll in one hand and a small, plastic bag in the other. The brunette sat up straight and moved a pair of goggles she had been wearing to the top of her head. "Weiss?"

The heiress walked over to her partner and set the bag down on the table, then waved her scroll back and forth. "It wouldn't hurt you to text back once in a while." Once Weiss had her hands empty, she scanned the room until she saw a white rectangle with a yellow diamond in the center on the far side of the table. She reached over, grabbed it, and held it out for Ruby to take.

"What do you mean?" Ruby took the device from Weiss and opened it, only to see that she had two new messages; one of which being from Weiss and the other from Beacon Chat. She opened the text from the somewhat annoyed heiress standing in front of her and sheepishly grinned. "Oh, sorry, Weiss. I've been busy working on Crescent Rose, so I didn't really notice my scroll ring. My bad."

Weiss rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop herself from smiling slightly. The sight of an apologetic Ruby with black smudges of gunpowder on her face and a pair of goggles perched on her head was a sight that Weiss couldn't bring herself to be mad at, no matter how hard she tried. "Whatever, just make sure to check your scroll every now and then next time." Weiss then reached over and gently flicked Ruby on the forehead. "Dolt."

After putting her scroll away, Ruby relaxed in her chair while Weiss pulled one over for herself. As she sat down, Ruby started to reach for the bag that she had brought in with her, only for Weiss to slap her hand away, which caused Ruby to reel back in fake pain. "What was that for?"

"Well, I didn't want you to know what was in here until I was able to show you myself." As Weiss spoke, she brought out a small, plastic box with a dozen cookies in it. Before she even got it completely out of the bag, Ruby's eyes were open as wide as they could be. "I figured this would help you get your mind off your tests and such."

Ruby's shock turned into thanks as she smiled at the white-haired girl in front of her. "Aw, Weiss, you didn't have to do anything like that. I was perfectly fine with working on Crescent Rose for that."

"I see… In that case, I'll just put these away."

Weiss started to slide the container back into the bag, but Ruby stopped her. "Hey hey hey, just because I said you didn't need to bring them doesn't mean that I don't want them."

As Ruby held out an arm and repeatedly opened and closed one hand, Weiss brought the package back out and opened it, then pointed it toward Ruby. "Now, while I did buy these to make you feel better, I didn't buy _all_ of them for you. I intend to have a few myself."

"That's only fair, I guess." Ruby pushed her scythe forward a little bit to provide her room on the table to lean on, then happily took a bite out of a cookie Weiss gave her. "Thanks, Weiss."

"Don't mention it."

The two girls ate in relative silence. After only a few minutes, the cookies were gone. Weiss had managed to eat a whopping two, while Ruby had the other ten. Normally Weiss would have lectured her over her sugar intake, but decided to give her a free pass this time. The heiress then began to study the massive scythe in front of her, and Ruby noticed. "Watcha lookin' at?"

Ruby's voice caught Weiss' attention. "What? Oh, I was looking at your weapon. It's actually… impressive. It must have taken you quite a long time to build it."

"Oh, this thing? I mean, it wasn't easy, but it wasn't too long of a process. I think it took me about two- no, three weeks to make it. I had Uncle Qrow and my Dad help me with some stuff, but the actual _building_ part was all me."

"I think that's remarkable for someone to do at that age."

A light shade of pink tinted Ruby's cheeks at Weiss' compliment. "I-I mean, it's no more awesome than your weapon. Myrtynaster is really cool. How did you make it?"

Weiss' eyes drifted to the floor as Ruby asked her question. "I… didn't."

Ruby tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I didn't make it," Weiss said as she placed her hands in her lap and began to twiddle her thumbs slowly. "When I told my father I was interested in becoming a huntress, he had a weapon made for me. I didn't have to make one for combat school. I almost regret, even though I am very comfortable with my weapon. But it's so simple. The only maintenance I needed to learn was how to change the dust cartridge."

"Really? I always thought you made yours. I mean, it's really elegant and ornate. It fits you perfectly." Ruby shocked herself by the unintended compliment. She also noticed a light blush creep onto Weiss' face. "I-It's just th-that it reminds me of you, I guess."

Weiss nodded slowly. "Um… thank you, I think? But yes, I had no part of making it. It's crafting fell onto the shoulders of whoever my father hired. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like should I have made my own weapon, but I don't even know what I would have made, given the opportunity."

Weiss was shaken by the sound of Ruby suddenly clapping her hands together. "Alright! Well, since we're here and I've got my scythe right in front of me, I can give you a little tutorial on maintaining weapons that are more on the complex side of things. How does that sound?"

There was no denying it, Weiss was going to get sucked into this, whether she wanted to or not. Ruby had a look in her eyes that was a mix of pleading and determination. She was more than happy to help Weiss out with anything related to weapons. After all, she knew more about weapons than she did anything else. _"Maybe this will give me and Weiss something else to talk about!"_

"I suppose that wouldn't be a bad idea."

Ruby was beaming at Weiss' words. "Awesome! Oh, wait! I have an even better idea." She quickly stood out of her chair and rummaged through a stack of papers next to her until she brought out a blank one, accompanied by a pencil. "We'll _make_ you your own weapon!"

Okay, now it was a bit too much for Weiss. "I don't think we can do that here. I'm pretty sure we could get into trouble for something like that."

Ruby shook her head and flattened out the piece of paper with small bolts at each corner, acting as paper weights. "Don't worry. I'm not talking about _actually_ making a weapon. We're just going to design one for you. And who knows, maybe you can get it made into the real thing eventually."

" _That would be nice, but I wouldn't even know where to start with the design."_ Weiss sighed heavily. "Ruby, I appreciate the offer, but I don't the first step in designing something like that."

"Well, that's why you've got me! I'll walk you through a bunch of options and you tell me when one sounds like something you'd like, okay?"

"Alright."

"Cool. Here we go."

* * *

After a couple hours of designing her weapon, Weiss felt extremely tired. The only thing keeping her awake was the sheer amount of joy Ruby showed while drawing up schematics for the weapon. She had no problems with completely scrapping an entire drawing if Weiss was dissatisfied with it. But now she was starting to fall asleep sitting up, and that wasn't good.

In an attempt to wake herself up, she pulled out her scroll and checked her messages on Beacon Chat, only to see a blank screen in her inbox. _"Well, that's disappointing."_ Her eyes then trailed up to the far corner of her device as she checked the time. _"Wow, it's that time already? We've been at this for a lot longer than I thought we would be."_ Weiss stretched her arms in front of her and yawned. "Ruby, I think we might have to call it a day for now."

Ruby looked up at her teammate, a pencil in her hand and faded, black smudges on her face. "What, really?" She opened her scroll and checked the time. "How late is it anywa- Oh. Yeah, I'm fine with that." She put the device away, then stood up and dusted herself off. "Let's head back to the dorm."

Weiss stood up and gestured to Ruby's weapon, now pushed to the side of the table. "What about your scythe? Don't you want to take it back to your locker?"

"Yeah, but it's not really ready for combat right now. I need to either finish what I started, or undo it, but it's too late for that today. I'll just lock the door and put the keys in Goodwitch's desk. It should be fine," Ruby said as she walked past Weiss and opened the door. "Besides, I'll be back in here after class tomorrow. I'll fix her up and take it back to my locker then."

"Alright, if you're sure."

Ruby nodded. "I am. Now come on, let's get back to the dorm. I bet Yang and Blake are wondering where we are."

"Right behind you."

The two girls had a relatively quiet stroll back to the dorm. However, they were both nearly too tired to hold a conversation in the first place. Ruby's exhaustion hadn't really hit her until Weiss brought up the time, and now she was just about ready to go to sleep in the hallway. But once the dorm room came into view, Ruby got a second wind. And, although small, it gave her enough energy to walk happily toward the door and open it for her white-haired partner, who was a few feet behind her at this point. "Come on, let's get in there."

Weiss stepped in, then immediately stopped entirely. She then carefully stepped through the door way and ushered for Ruby to follow her, but held a single finger over her mouth. "Look," she whispered. "Yang and Blake are sleeping. We shouldn't wake them up. I'm not dealing with your sister when she's cranky when I'm this tired."

Ruby nodded in agreement. "Yeah, no arguments here." She carefully closed the door, going so far as to hush it when it latched too loudly for her liking. Yang was a heavy sleeper, but Ruby had been the one to wake her sister up before. It was not something she wished to do again. "Alright, I'm gonna head to bed, I guess."

Weiss looked at her, confused. "You're not going to change?"

"Nah, not tonight. I'm too tired. I'll just take a shower tomorrow morning."

"Alright, if that's what you think is best, I won't question it. I'm sure you're under enough stress as it is, what with the test scores being revealed tomorrow." Weiss stepped toward the bathroom and opened the door, then turned around to face Ruby, who was busy climbing up onto her bed. "Oh, and in you're asleep before I come out of here, good night."

Ruby smiled happily. "Goodnight, Weiss. Oh, and don't forget. I'm taking you out tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yep. It was gonna be today, but I ended up having some issues with a few things, so I didn't get around to the whole 'planning' part. But tomorrow's a new day, so be ready."

"Very well. We did have a deal, after all." With that, Weiss shut the door and Ruby climbed into her bed and slid under the sheets. And, while they wouldn't show it, both girls had a small amount of panic in the back of their minds after their brief conversation. They were even sharing the same thought.

 _"Is tomorrow... a date?"_

* * *

 **Hey, y'all. Surgery went great and now I'm back. (Even if it is later than I planned). Anyway, I'll have to take another break in a while for more health related stuff, but, once again, nothing serious. I'll go into more detail in the next chapter.**

 **Til next time.**

 **:D**


	17. Keeping up Appearances

" _Finally, it's over,"_ Ruby thought to herself as she walked out of her last class for the day. Despite thinking her last class was miserable, she was in a relatively happy mood. She made passing grades on all her tests and, while they weren't as high as she had hoped, they were still well above passing. The high she got from seeing her test scores could carry her through the rest of the week, if need be.

The brunette pulled out her scroll to check the time. Today was the day she was going to town with Weiss, but she had something to take care of before that. _"Right. I've still got time to patch up Crescent Rose before I have to leave. I can't finish the upgrade, but I can restore it."_ Ruby then put her scroll away and began to make her way toward Goodwitch's classroom.

She reached the room fairly quickly. Her last class had been with professor Peach, whose classroom was only about a two-minute walk from Goodwitch's. As Ruby arrived, she had to maneuver through a small group of students who had the blonde woman as their last class. Once she was next to the door, she poked her head around the side only to see Goodwitch looking back at her. "Hello, miss Rose. Is there something I can help you with?"

The young girl stood up straight and nodded her head. "Actually, I was wondering if I could get back to the repair room. I got distracted yesterday and didn't finish working on my scythe. I didn't have a class with you today, so I thought I would leave it until after class had ended."

"I see."

"I won't be long. I have plans for the rest of the day, anyway. So, I can't waste any time with it. I'll be in and out super fast, promise."

The blonde looked back to the locked room and sighed. "Very well. The keys are in my desk." She started to walk out of the classroom and turned to Ruby as she did so. "Please refrain from leaving your weapon in there from now on. Especially overnight."

Ruby grinned and nodded. "Of course. Thanks, professor Goodwitch!" She quickly descended the stairs into the classroom, but carefully timed her steps in order to jump over the last few." Once her feet made contact with the floor, she walked over to the desk toward the back of the room, pulled open the top drawer, and grabbed the set of keys to the repair room.

"Keys in hand, she made her way to the door, unlocked it and opened it. As the door creaked open, she looked at the table in the center and a huge smile grew on her face. She walked over to the table and ran her hands over the handle of her scythe. It hadn't even collected any dust. "Hey there, sweetheart. Sorry that I left you here last night, but I'm gonna fix you up now!" She glanced at her scroll once last time, then put it away and cracked her knuckles. "Alright, let's get started."

* * *

While Ruby was working on Crescent Rose, Weiss was making her way back to the dorm. On the surface, she seemed like her normal self. She carried herself gracefully and took modest strides down the hallway. She had a notebook tucked under her arm and her scroll in her hand. However, things were quite different beneath the surface. She was worried about several things, and none that she felt comfortable talking about.

Weiss stared at the scroll in her hand and watched the clock tick by, minute by minute. After she started to see the illuminated image from the device when she closed her eyes, she put it away with a heavy sigh. _"I hope Ruby's tests went well. I'm sure she has the capability to pass, but she was so nervous. I hope it didn't influence her too much."_

The heiress then shook the thoughts from her head only for more to take their place. _"Aside from that, what about the rest of the day?"_ Her mind had a brief reprieve from the worrisome thoughts as she reached team RWBY's dorm and reached out for the handle, but they returned as she began to open the door. _"Ruby said we are going into town today, but the way she talked about it almost seemed like"_

"A date."

Weiss was taken aback as she heard a voice finish her thought aloud. She looked ahead of her into the dorm and was greeted by a grinning blonde girl. "What did you just say, Yang?"

Yang shrugged and turned her body toward Weiss and pointed a thumb toward Blake, who was sitting to her left. "I was just asking Blake if she wanted to go out one day. We haven't really done much as a couple, so I'm trying to get her to go on a date with me."

"I see," Weiss said nervously.

The blonde quickly picked up on the nervousness in her teammate's voice. "Why did you want to know? You sound weirded out by something. You okay?"

Nodding, Weiss made her way to her bed and sat down. "Yes, I'm fine. I was just surprised to hear the word 'date' when I came into the room. I wasn't aware that you and Blake were in here, so I was mostly just surprised that I heard voices."

Yang raised one eyebrow curiously. _"Is she hiding something?"_ She then spun back around to Blake. "So, what do you think? The two of us could go to a movie or something before this weekend. You could consider it an early birthday present." Yang smiled at her girlfriend as she waited for an answer.

Blake's eyes fell to the floor as she started to answer Yang's question. "That sounds great, but… are you sure about going out to town? We could just do something here at the school instead. As long as we're together with whatever we're doing, I think it will be a good time." The faunus started to twiddle her thumbs in her lap. "We don't have to go anywhere special."

"Are you sure? I don't mind treating you to something a little on the nicer side."

The faunus nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm sure. I'm perfectly fine with staying here."

"Alright, if you say so." Yang's attention was then drawn to her white-haired teammate walking to the bathroom with a bundle of clothes under her arm. Upon closer inspection, she realized that they weren't her pajamas, uniform, or her combat attire. "Hey, what's with all that," she asked as she pointed to the clothes.

Weiss looked at the outfit and then back to Yang. "I'm going to change. Ruby and I made a deal and I lost. Now, Ruby gets to take me into town for something. I'm not sure what, but I don't think it will be anything too bad. I just thought I would dress appropriately."

Yang smirked and Weiss immediately regretted telling her why she was changing. "Oh, sounds like Ruby is taking you on a date."

Wanting to escape the blonde's teasing, Weiss simply nodded and walked toward the bathroom, her eyes locked on the door. "I suppose it does sound like that." Before Yang could say anything else, Weiss was in the bathroom and quickly shut the door. Once Yang's voice was no longer audible, Weiss sighed and rolled her eyes. _"Imbecile."_

* * *

 _Man, I'm never doing something like that again."_ Ruby had finished working on Crescent Rose and was now walking back to the dorm room. Her back was sore from sitting hunched over as she fixed her weapon and her hands had blisters on them from one too many slip-ups with a rogue soldering iron. She let out a heavy sigh as she trudged through the hall. _"As much as I would hate to do it, I might have to cancel the plans I have with Weiss for tonight."_

As the door to RWBY's dorm came into view, a tired smile appeared across Ruby's face. _"Finally."_ However, as she got closer, her scroll vibrated. She pulled it out and was surprised to see that she had a message on Beacon Chat. Her smile grew into a wide grin once she realized the message was from Blue.

 _ **Hello.**_

Ruby stopped in her tracks as she typed out a reply, her grin not fading at all. It had been a while since she had spoken to her friend, so it was a nice surprise to receive a message from them. Satisfied with what she had written, Ruby put her scroll away and walked to the dorm, a slight spring in her step.

R: **Hey there. What's up?**

Her previous tiredness now seemingly gone for reasons she didn't bother thinking about, she opened the door to the dorm and walked inside. Before she shut the door, she heard a cheerful greeting from her sister."Hey, sis! Where've you been all day?"

Ruby closed the door behind her and made her way to a nearby chair, then sat down and threw on foot over the other while throwing one arm over the back. "I was working on my scythe. I started something yesterday that I didn't get to finish. After I was done working on it I had to put it in my locker, so I had to walk twenty miles there and back. I'm pretty tired."

Yang chuckled as she sat up in her bed and turned more toward her sister. "Twenty miles? Don'tcha think that's a _bit_ of an exaggeration?"

"Well, that's what it _felt_ like." Ruby craned her neck to the side, popping it several times in the process. As she stretched, her eyes scanned the room. Yang was in her bed with Blake next to her, absorbed in a book. But there was something, or some _one_ missing. "Hey, where's Weiss? Have you seen her today?"

The blonde nodded and pointed a thumb toward the bathroom. "Yep. Ice Queen is taking her slow, sweet time in the bathroom. I think she's getting all prettied up for your date," Yang said with a smirk.

A light red tint showed on Ruby's face at the remark. "I-It's not a date. We're just going out to spend some time together. It's no different than if you and Blake we-" She stopped herself before she finished the thought. After all, Yang and Blake were a couple. It would be normal for them. "Um… just forget it." Ruby waved a hand at her sister and stared at the floor until a thought came to her. "Wait, have you been teasing Weiss about the plans we have?"

Yang laughed nervously and looked to her side. "… No."

Ruby raised her eyebrows and stared at the blonde with half-lidded eyes. "Yeah?"

After a soft nudge in her back from Blake, Yang rolled her eyes and jumped off her bed. "Fine, I did, but only a little. Didn't seem to bother her too much, anyway." Yang looked toward the bathroom door with a confused look on her face. "Actually, she didn't really seem to mind at all. Wonder if she's sick?"

"I hope not. I would hate to have to cancel our plans for the day." Ruby cursed her hypocritical thoughts. _"Just like I was thinking about doing earlier. Nice one, Ruby."_ The brunette was saved from her aggravating mind by the sound of her scroll ringing. She brought it up and smiled as she read the message.

 _ **Oh, nothing, really. I had some free time and I just thought I would message you. Haven't really spoken to you much lately.**_

Ruby pulled her arm from the back of the chair and began to swing her legs back and forth as she texted Blue her reply, quietly humming to herself as she did so.

R: **Cool! I don't have much going on myself. I have plans for later tonight, though. But I just get to sit around for a while until then.**

When Ruby looked up from her scroll, her gaze was met with two big, lilac eyes staring back at her. "And just what's got you all happy all of the sudden, huh?" Yang stepped back and placed her hands on her hips. "You went from being worried about Weiss to super smile-y in just a few seconds."

Nervously, Ruby put her scroll in her lap and shook her head. "Nothing. Just talking to a friend."

Yang looked at her sister curiously, then shrugged and let out a heavy sigh before turning around and walking back to her bed."Hmm. Alright, I'll let it slide for now."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Yang waved a hand dismissively as she hopped up next to Blake. "Don't worry about it." Once she was settled, she swung her legs off the side of the bed and started to swing them back and forth. "So, what are you and Weiss gonna do in town tonight? Got anything special planned?"

Ruby shrugged. "I'm not really sure, to be honest. There is a movie I would like to go see, but I don't know if Weiss would like it. She did make the deal to go to town with me, but I don't want her to have a bad time because I made her sit through a movie she didn't like." As Ruby spoke, her scroll rang. A new messaged had popped up on her screen.

 _ **I wish I could do the same. I have plans tonight myself and I'm getting ready for them right now.**_

Ruby's thumbs worked their way across the digital keyboard of her scroll as she hastily typed her reply, Yang's voice quickly became background noise as the brunette wrote her message.

R: **Oh, I didn't know that. Would it be better to talk later, then? It's no big deal.**

A voice mid-sentence pulled Ruby's attention away from the device in her hands. "-or anything like that, y'know?"

The brunette stared blankly at her elder sister, trying to piece together whatever she had missed, to no avail. "Sorry, what did you say?"

Sighing, Yang shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

Ruby started to question Yang, but stopped herself when the sound of the bathroom door opening caught her attention. Weiss quickly stepped out, dirty clothes under her arm. She began to walk towards a closet, but halted when she noticed her partner had shown up while she was changing. "Oh, I didn't know you were back."

Ruby wanted to respond, but seeing Weiss in her current outfit shocked her. She hadn't really seen Weiss dress _casually_. She was wearing a white t-shirt with blue sleeves, light blue jeans, and white sneakers. If it was anyone but Weiss, Ruby wouldn't have thought anything of it, but it captivated her for some reason. However, the longer she stared, the more that something seemed "off" to her.

Before long, Weiss noticed Ruby was just staring at her. She put her dirty clothes away then turned to her partner. "Um, Ruby?"

No response.

Weiss snapped her fingers and raised her voice slightly. "Ruby!"

Whether it was the snap or the elevated volume of Weiss' voice was uncertain, but one of the two snapped Ruby out of whatever trance she had been in. Blinking rapidly, Ruby shook her head and smiled nervously. "S-Sorry, Weiss. I was just surprised to see you in those clothes."

"Um… Is there something wrong with them," Weiss asked as she gestured at her outfit. "I thought they were perfectly fine."

Ruby quickly stood up and shook her head. "No, nothing like that. They look great, I just didn't expect to see you in something that wasn't super fancy. I didn't mean anything by it."

"I see." While Weiss completely believed Ruby, she almost felt as if Ruby was keeping something from her. "Is that all?"

"Well, now that you mention it, there's something about that outfit I can't put my finger on. Something about you is different." Ruby started to walk around Weiss as her gaze trailed from her head to toes several times, before finally figuring out what it was. "Oh! It's your hair!"

" _My hair?"_ The heiress gently grabbed her ponytail and let it rest in her hands. "I didn't really do anything to it. I just took out my hairpin and centered it."

Ruby nodded and smiled. "It looks really good!"

A blush appeared on Weiss' face at Ruby's compliment. "Thank you, Ruby. Though, I'm not sure it really looks that different."

"Well, it does, but it looks good like that." Ruby then walked away from Weiss and into her closet, then walked out with a change of clothes tucked under her arm. "Okay, I'm gonna change, then we can head out. Is that okay?"

Weiss nodded stiffly. "Yes, that's fine."

"Cool." Ruby then made her way to the bathroom, gently shutting the door behind her. She set her clothes on the counter and started to get undressed, but stopped when her scroll rang. She picked the device up and read a new message.

 _ **Actually, that would probably be for the best. I'll talk to you another time.**_

Ruby quickly typed her reply.

R: **Okay. Talk to you later then.**

Once the message had sent, she quickly changed out of her uniform and into her new outfit. She had black sneakers with red laces, along with a red, long sleeve shirt and black jeans. She gave her appearance a once-over in the mirror, then walked into the dorm. Her eyes fell to Weiss, who was looking at her scroll. She walked over and lightly tapped the heiress' foot with her own. "Hey, you ready to go?"

Weiss slowly lifted her head up, her eyes still glued to the screen in her hands. After a few moments, her eyes shot upward and she placed her scroll in her pocket. "Yes, I believe so." She stood up, then gestured pointed an open hand at the door. "After you."

The two girls walked into the hallway, then turned and waved to the other half of their team. "We'll see you two later. Don't wait up."

Yang half-saluted and laid down next to Blake. "You got it. Don't have too much fun."

As the door shut, Yang rolled over and sighed, catching the attention of her girlfriend. "You okay?"

Blonde hair fell onto Blake's arm as Yang nuzzled her head into the faunus' elbow. "Yeah, I'm just a little worried, I guess," she said as she fiddled with a loose piece of frayed string coming from her shirt. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that they're basically on a date, but what if this screws everything up?"

Breathing deeply, Blake closed the book she had been reading and placed it in her lap. She then lightly placed a hand on her partner's head, letting several strands of hair slide between her fingers. "And how would that happen? I think this is a great way for them to spend time together."

Yang nodded. "It is, but I just can't shake this… _feeling_ that I have. I know there's nothing to worry about, but I can't help feeling nervous about the whole thing. What if Ruby gets hurt somehow after everything is all said and done?"

Blake smiled. "Ah, I know what's got you so worked up. You're not worried about the date. You're just sad that Ruby's growing up and could potentially have a significant other when this is all over, even if it _is_ Weiss."

The hair that was on Blake's arm swiftly smacked her in the face as Yang shot upright. "No way! I wanted this to happen, after all. I orchestrated this whole thing. Why would I do all that if I was just gonna worry about it later?"

"Because you put Ruby's happiness above everything else. You know this will make Ruby happy, so however you feel about it is irrelevant."

Yang opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, but closed it and laid back down with a long, audible groan. "… Maybe you're right."

"Just try not to think about it too much." Blake started to pet the top of Yang's head. "Well, we've got the dorm to ourselves for a while. Would you like to watch a movie or something?"

"Mhm. A movie sounds good."

Blake sat up straight. "Alright, you go get the movie and I'll-" The faunus was halted in her movements by a firm hand on her arm. As she looked down, she was met with pleading lilac eyes and an ever so slightly quivering lip. With a sigh, she pulled her arm free. "Okay, _I'll_ go get the movie."

Yang smiled to herself as Blake slid off the bed and walked to a corner of the room with a small bookshelf that housed several movies. "So, do you really think everything will be okay?"

"Of course," Blake said as she bent over to examine the collection of films. "Everything will either go off without a hitch or, knowing Weiss, they'll have an argument about something ridiculous and then they'll both come back angry or disappointed."

A scoff pushed its way out of Yang's mouth. "That's a little pessimistic."

Blake shrugged at the remark. "Well, it's realistic." As Blake looked at the movies, she couldn't help but feel a pair of eyes on her. She grabbed a movie, then stood up and turned around. After a few seconds, she realized that Yang was staring right at her. "Um, is there something on my face?"

Yang shook her head. "Nope, just… admiring the view, I guess," She said as a light shade of red appeared on her cheeks.

Blake quickly mimicked the action and cleared her throat. "W-Well, th-that's…" She nervously fiddled with the movie in her hands before tossing it to Yang. "There, that's the one I picked."

After glancing at the cover, Yang threw it back and grinned. "Looks good to me. Pop it in." As Blake got the movie ready, Yang rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. _"I Hope Blake is right about tonight. Here's hoping those two have a good time and something happens."_

* * *

This is terrible!"

"We can head back and still be back in time for the movie. It's not a big deal."

Weiss and Ruby had been extremely close to leaving the school grounds. However, due to Weiss wanting a cup of coffee, they had to make a short trip to the cafeteria. Once Weiss had her coffee, she spun around to face Ruby, only to walk into her and spill the dark drink on her white shirt. "It actually _is_ a big deal. This was the last clean shirt that I have that isn't part of my uniform or combat clothes."

"Well, I think I have a shirt you can borrow, if you don't mind."

The heiress sighed angrily. "I suppose I'll take you up on the offer. Are you sure this won't disrupt your plans any?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Don't worry about it." Ruby held out a hand and smiled. "C'mon, let's head back."

The walk back to the dorm was swift, as Weiss wanted to get out of the wet shirt and into a dry one as quickly as possible. Within minutes, the dorm was in sight. Ruby started to open the door, but heard voices that didn't belong to her teammates. She cracked the door opened and peered inside, then opened the door completely in and walked in. "Sorry, guys. Didn't mean to interrupt your movie."

Yang looked at her sister, a confused expression on her face. "Ruby, Weiss? What are you two doing back already," the blonde asked as she paused the movie.

"We had a little 'accident' in the cafeteria and Weiss needs to change. We had a little coffee spill, so Weiss is gonna borrow one of my shirts for now, because hers are all dirty." Ruby walked to her closet as she spoke and pulled out s shirt almost identical to the one she was wearing. She stretched her arm out towards Weiss and nodded. "Here ya go."

"Thank you, Ruby." Weiss grabbed the shirt then quickly walked to the bathroom. Not even a minute passed before Weiss emerged, coffee-stained shirt in hand. She simply threw her shirt towards the open closet, then pointed to the open door. "Okay, I'm ready… again."

"Awesome." Ruby waved to Yang and Blake once again as they left, then held out her arm as she shut the door. She looked at her arm, then to Weiss and smiled.

Weiss was confused. "Er… What are you doing?"

"I just thought we could lock our arms together. I mean, isn't this the kind of thing people do when they go somewhere?" Ruby said with an innocent look on her face.

A look of disbelief grew on Weiss' face, but it was quickly replaced with a smile. _"Maybe old married couples. She's so naive sometimes."_ Despite a moment of reluctance on her part, Weiss took Ruby's arm into her own and started to walk.

"So, do you want to try for coffee again?"

"You know what? I think I'd rather not risk it. Let's just get to the airships."

Smiling, Ruby nodded. "Okay."

* * *

 **Holy. Hell. Did I do it right? Did the chapter upload? I can't remember how to use this thing!**

 **Hey everyone. Sorry for the, well, "late upload" doesn't really cover it at this point. Sorry I've been away for so long. At first, I had several things going on in my personal life that really hindered my writing, but after a while it just became laziness. Then that turned into nervousness about uploading at all. I was worried that no one would be around to read this, which is stupid. I always try to write for myself first, then everyone else second, because if I don't enjoy it, I don't think anyone else will. But after being away for so long, that idea became clouded. With all of that going on, I got hit with some pretty serious writer's block.**

 **Anyway, I _think_ I've fixed it and my sever absence should be over now. I may disappear every now and then, but never like this again. Regular chapters will resume, starting now.**

 **In the wake of all that, I'm sure my "skills" (or lack thereof) have become rusty, so sorry if the chapter seems a bit lackluster. I'll get back into the swing of things soon, promise!**

 **Well, I've covered just about everything I think. Sorry for the wall of text. Til next time. And Happy New Year, everybody!**

 **:D**


	18. I'm still Alive

_**Insert Ewan Mcgregor Audio Clip**_

Hello there.

So, first things first, this is not an update saying that _Blind_ will remain unfinished. This is an update saying that _Blind_ is (almost) finished! I know I've been gone for a while, but I appreciate all of the new people who have found this story while I've been away and all of the followers that have messaged me asking if everything's okay. If you guys are willing to continue this story even though it hasn't been updated in a long time, and you're ready for a new chapter, it's coming next week. Despite the story being nearly finished, I will still release the chapters on a schedule. That way, I can make sure each chapter is polished and make the finale as great as I want to to be. Now, with that out of the way, here's the reason(s) for my absence, if you're at all curious about it.

Just so you know, this gets kinda dark.

Back when I posted the last update, I was struggling with some issues. I wasn't getting the joy out of writing like I did when I started, and that mindset slowly found it's way to other aspects of my life. It was kinda hard to just be genuinely happy for a time. I wasn't eating right, I would stay up for days without getting anything done, I felt sick constantly, it was just a bad time overall. I decided to go to the doctor to get my brain checked out to see if there was something there that could be causing my problems, but they didn't find anything. Anyway, a few specialists later, I get diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, aka Manic Depression. So, that was a lot for me to take in, but it wasn't completely unexpected.

Once I came to terms with that, so to speak, I started having other health issues. I would get scared for absolutely no reason at all. I would wake up in the middle of the night panicking about something I had no idea about. Sometimes it felt like I was having a heart attack. I got real familiar with an emergency room over the course of a week. Once again, I went to the doctor and, once again, I was sent to a specialist. I eventually got diagnosed with Episodic Paroxysmal Anxiety Disorder. Basically, I can have a severe panic attack for no reason and it happens most often at night.

Over the following months, I started medications that would help and I started seeing a therapist. For the first time in a long time, I'm in a place, mentally, where I'm comfortable for the most part. Through several Q&A sessions with my doctors, I learned that this wasn't something that came up out of nowhere. It had been building in me for a long time and it had just finally come to a head. To say I was feeling low during this time would be the understatement of the century. During a particularly bad night, and after a _lot_ of alcohol, I ended up calling the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. I didn't really see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I was done with everything. But this super nice lady named Genie (I don't know how to spell her name) stayed on the phone with me for 3 hours and talked me down. Right after I got off the phone with her I called my mother, who drove 3 hours in the middle of the night to come make sure I was okay.

After that happened, it was a slow process, but I have grown into a much happier person now. I'm still struggling, but I do my damnedest to not let this stuff get the best of me. I've learned to open up to people and that has helped me immensely.

Anyways, if you've managed to read through all of this, thanks. I hope you're all ready to continue reading _Blind_. I'll see you in the next chapter.

:D

 _One more thing. I'll delete this whenever I upload the next chapter to avoid clutter in the chapter list, so don't go thinking you hallucinated this whole thing._


	19. Not A Date

As Ruby and Weiss made their way to the airship docks, the loud roar of engines and the sound of ships flying through the sky drowned out any hope the two had of having a conversation. The sound of dozens of footsteps on the hard, stone walkway beneath their feet was the only sound that was somewhat audible over the airships.

Ruby attempted to have a conversation by telling Weiss it was busier than usual, but Weiss couldn't understand her well enough to respond. She cupped her hand around her ear and leaned towards Ruby in order to hear her more clearly. Noticing this, Ruby took a step closer to Weiss. "It's busier than usual today, huh."

Weiss waved her away and kept walking toward a nearby ship. "Sorry, I can't hear you!" She then motioned for Ruby to catch up, which she did quickly. As they approached the ship, they walked through the door and sat down. Weiss leaned her leaned back until her neck was resting against the top of the seat. "Well, that was annoying," she said with a huff, the cabin of the ship making her voice able to be heard. "I wonder why this place is so busy today?"

Mimicking her partner's actions, Ruby leaned back and closed her eyes. "You've got me. You don't normally see it so packed here. I guess it wouldn't have hurt to leave a little earlier."

After hearing Ruby's remark, Weiss looked at the shirt she was wearing and sighed. "Sorry. If not for the fact that I wanted coffee, we probably could have made it here a bit sooner." She pulled slightly at the collar of the shirt and looked to Ruby. "I do appreciate the fact that you let me borrow this, though."

Ruby waved her hand dismissively and smiled warmly. "Don't worry about it. Honestly, I don't think it would have made that much of a difference. By the looks of it, it's been pretty busy for a while now." The younger girl glanced at the shirt her partner was wearing and grinned. "And as for the shirt, don't sweat it. It was an extra that I don't wear that often, so it's not a big deal. Just try not to spill coffee on that one, too."

This earned Ruby an eye roll from Weiss, who crossed her arms and looked out the window to the side of her. "Not funny."

Gently, Ruby poked the white-haired girl in the arm. "Oh, come on. It was just a joke."

The brunette went for another soft jab, but before she did, Weiss quickly spun around and flicked her in the forehead. "Dolt," She said playfully.

Before the two could say anything else, they heard the sound of the large, metal door of the ship slide close, then a woman's voice on the intercom. "Attention, passengers. We are now preparing for take off. Please fasten your seat belts."

The sound of frantic clicking in quick succession filled the cabin of the vessel as the passenger secured themselves. A few moments passed and the clicking quickly ceased, only to be replaced by the rumbling of the engines starting. As the ship started its ascent, it vibrated. Several passengers fumbled with drinks and snacks in their hands to keep them from spilling, while some leaned back and closed their eyes, trying to get some rest during an event that was all too familiar to them.

Ruby, however, was not one of those people. She stared, wide-eyed, at the landscape beneath the ship. "Whoa… Weiss, look! It's so pretty," she excitedly squealed once the roar of the engines quieted down.

It was relatively warm for the time of year, but the snow that covered the area beneath Beacon Academy laid under the massive shadow of the mountain the school sat upon, so it stayed cool enough that some snow had managed to stick around. Just a bit past that, the humongous lake was still partially frozen, creating a bright shine on the area whenever the sun hit it at just the right angle.

As Weiss gazed out the window along with her partner, she found herself in disagreement. More often than not, the snow just reminded her of her home in Atlas. No, 'home' wasn't the right word. To Weiss, the giant, ornate mansion she had grown up in was nothing more than a place where her father could keep her until she was ready to take over the company. To her, the snow wasn't pretty – it just made her feel alone.

"Weiss, are you okay," Ruby asked, a hint of concern in her voice. "You look kinda… spacey."

Weiss blinked several times, the memories of her home life struck from her mind as Ruby spoke. She took a quick, deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking about a few things," she said as she leaned away from the window and placed her hands in her lap. Before Ruby had the chance to ask her what she was thinking about, Weiss ambushed the brunette with a question of her own in an attempt to change the subject. "So, how did your tests go? If you don't mind talking about them, that is."

Caught off guard by the sudden question, but not entirely surprised by it, Ruby crossed her arms and grinned. "I passed all of them! I mean, I wish the grades were a little higher for how hard I studied, but they were all passing! And they weren't even close to failing!"

The proud smile Ruby wore quickly spread to Weiss' face. "That's good. I was a bit worried about you, if I'm being honest. I couldn't help but think that your nervousness could get to you and cause problems during the tests."

Ruby shrugged. "Actually, I was pretty nervous, but it wasn't that big of a problem. Besides, I had you there to help tutor me. How could I fail," the scythe-wielder said as she gleefully swung her feet back and forth beneath her seat. "Y'know, you really saved me. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there to help me study."

"Please," Weiss said while doing her best to hide her embarrassment from Ruby's compliment. "All I did was give you a helping hand here and there." As she spoke, Weiss pulled out her scroll and pretended to check the time, which was all she could think to avoid the subject.

"Seriously, though. You were a big help. Thanks, Weiss."

The heiress began to fidget with her scroll by opening web pages that went to nowhere, apps that were borderline meaningless, checking the time _again_ , anything to not have to look at her partner. "Y-You're welcome."

Happy with the simple "you're welcome", Ruby returned to looking out of the window. After a few minutes, she leaned back in her seat. She wanted to say something to Weiss and get another conversation going, but she couldn't think of anything to say. On top of that, Weiss seemed to be busy with her scroll. Not wanting to interrupt her, she decided to pull out her own scroll to pass the time. Her finger hovered over Beacon Chat for a few seconds before she decided it wasn't the best time and went to something else.

Meanwhile, Weiss was having the same problems. She was not fond of silence, and that's exactly what was rearing its ugly head at this moment. There was the occasional overheard words of other passengers, or a stray beeping noise coming from one of the ship's instruments, but nothing that actually seemed like "noise" in her mind. However, she also didn't want to strike up a meaningless conversation. As she toyed with the device in her hands, she opened Beacon Chat, only to close it a second after. _"Now's not the time, Weiss. You're supposed to be spending time with Ruby."_

Weiss closed her scroll, then put it away. Her head turned toward the window Ruby had been looking out of moments prior. At this angle, there was no snow – only sunlight. It was almost calming and provided the heiress with a certain feeling of peace she couldn't quite describe. It was a short-lived feeling, as a pair of silver eyes quickly took up her view. "Whatcha lookin' at?"

"I'm not sure. Just staring at nothing, I suppose," Weiss said, the last few words coming out as a breath as she readjusted herself in her seat. "The snow's going away quite fast, isn't it?"

Ruby nodded, a look of disappointment on her face. "Yeah, it is. It kinda sucks. I was hoping that it would stick around for a while. I love the snow. We never really got much back in Patch, or even at Signal Academy. It's nice to have it more than, like, once every couple of years."

"I'm happy to have it less, honestly. In Atlas, it's nearly constant. It always bothered me with how much we got there. It was always cold. It always needed to be cleaned off the streets. It always stuck to your clothes. It always made things wet. It always-" Weiss stopped herself as the disappointed expression on Ruby's face changed to one of sadness.

Ruby thought back to all the times she had asked her team to go on treks through the snow or some other team activity. Then there were the times she asked Weiss to go on walks with her when they were still in their first year of Beacon. Her mind then wandered to the snowball fight. She thought Weiss had enjoyed herself as much as the rest of the team, but now she wasn't so sure. "Sorry. I didn't know you didn't like it." She quickly put on a fake smile and scratched the back of her head nervously. "That snowball fight must not have been too fun for you, huh. Sorry for making you go through that."

Regret. Weiss instantly felt regret. It was a feeling she'd become more familiar with since her years at Beacon, especially being part of team RWBY. It was not a feeling she was fond of. "I'm sorry, Ruby," She began, her voice quiet and almost monotone. "I… I think I went a little too far there. It's just that snow makes me feel like I'm at home, and I would rather not think of that."

The brunette sighed as her gaze fell to the metal floor of the ship. "I understand."

The fact that Ruby didn't even look at her caused a lump of guilt to grow in Weiss' stomach. "Ruby, I _did_ have fun the other day. I wasn't crazy about getting hit with your sister's last attack, but I enjoyed myself. In fact, I wouldn't mind doing it again, as long as there is a decent amount of time between now and then."

"Really?" Ruby turned and locked eyes with the ivory-haired girl at her side. "You sure about that? Seriously, I don't want you to have a bad time or anything like that. If it's too much, just tell me and I'll shut up about it."

Weiss placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Really. Although, we might have to limit it to just a regular snowball fight. Yang's semblance was a bit of a handicap, in my opinion."

A giggle forced its way out of Ruby's mouth. "Yeah, that sounds fair." The two girls sat in silence for a few moments before Ruby pulled out her scroll and looked at the time. "Man, I didn't realize it would take so long to get there. I hope we can get good seats."

"Now that I think of it, you never did tell me what kind of movie we're going to go see."

"Hm? Oh, yeah. It's called… oh man. Hang on a second." Ruby quickly went through her scroll until she found the movie listings for that day. "It's called _The Dust Chronicles_. I think it's the first of a series, so if this one's good, then we have something to look forward to."

"I see. In that case, let's hope it's good."

Ruby smiled. "Yeah."

Suddenly, the ship slowed down immensely and the landscape outside ceased to move out of view. After a few seconds, the ship's intercom system came on and a woman's voice carried through it. "Passengers, we have arrived at your destination. Please gather your things and exit in an orderly manner." As the message ended, the ships door opened, revealing the town of Vale.

Ruby peeked outside form her seat, the turned to Weiss. "Welp, we're here. You ready to go?"

Slowly, Weiss stood up, carefully stretching her back and legs. "Yes, I believe so."

"Great! Let's go watch a movie!"

* * *

As Ruby and Weiss got off the ship, they immediately noticed a cold breeze blowing. It wasn't quite cold enough to make them regret their choices in clothing, but it did seem like bringing a jacket wouldn't have been the worst idea they had. Ruby crossed her arms tightly, as she was having significantly more trouble with the drop in temperature than Weiss. "Weiss, aren't you cold?"

"Not particularly, no. It is a bit chillier than I thought it would be, but it's manageable. Why, are you cold?"

Ruby looked at her crossed arms, then back to her partner. "You could say that." She then jogged forward and grabbed Weiss by the hand, pulling her in the direction of the theater. "Come on, let's get inside where it's nice and warm. The theater's only a few blocks away from here."

Before Weiss could protest, she was being dragged along by Ruby, who she could swear was _just_ on the brink of using her semblance. Every now and then, the heiress was hit in the face by a stray rose petal that seemingly came from nowhere. After a few moments of nearly losing her balance, she managed to plant her feet firmly on the ground and yank her hand out of Ruby's grasp. "Ruby, slow down! I know you want to get there quickly, but I can't keep up with you," she said with a hint of annoyance, pulling a few rose petals off her clothes as she did so.

"Oh, sorry." Ruby quickly took notice of the rose petals latching themselves on to Weiss and pulled off a few that she had missed. "I guess I got a little carried away."

Weiss nodded firmly in agreement. "Yes, I would say so."

Sheepishly, Ruby smiled and pointed behind her. "Well, on the bright side, the theater is right there. You wanna go inside and get our seats? I mean, if you're not mad at me or anything. I did kinda just pull you along back there."

"Sure. Lead the way. Just don't drag me with you this time. Also, a slower pace would be greatly appreciated."

"You got it."

As the two girls approached the ticket booth of the theater at a regular speed, Ruby started to wave at a female attendant in the booth, a big smile on her face. She got closer and placed her hands on the counter, then proceeded to rock back and forth on her heels. "Hey, Violet. I've got two tickets reserved for _Dust Chronicles_ tonight."

The woman in the booth looked to a monitor at her left, stared at it for a few seconds, then moved to a machine on her right. "You sure do." She then pushed a button and two small pieces of paper came out of the bottom of the machine, which she pushed through a small hole in the glass that sat in front of her. "Here you go, Ruby. Let me know if it's any good."

"Sure thing. Later." Ruby took the two tickets and handed one to Weiss, then pushed her way through a set of black, metal doors that led inside the building. After only a few steps in, Weiss was right at Ruby's side. "So, who was that? You two seemed like you knew each other reasonably well."

Ruby shot a thumb back toward the booth. "The ticket lady? Her name is Violet. She's worked here for as long as I can remember. I don't really know her that much, but I've talked to her a few times whenever I came here."

"Ah, I was just curious." After Ruby said that she didn't know Violet that well, Weiss felt relief. She wasn't sure why, but if she kept thinking about it, it would just annoy her. _"Better forget about it for now."_ As she looked ahead, Weiss couldn't help but notice that Ruby's pace slightly quickened, and it only took her a few seconds to realize why.

In front of her was an enormous snack bar. It had all sorts of candies, snacks, drinks, anything you could need for watching a movie. None of it really caught her eye, but its effect on Ruby was an entirely different story. "Weiss, come here! Don't you want something to eat?"

Weiss shook her head and stood still. "No, not really. I don't need anything like that, so I'm just waiting for you."

"Alright, but don't come crying to me if you get hungry or thirsty." As she spoke, she grabbed a medium-sized tub of popcorn and a large drink from a nearby cooler, then placed them at the end of the counter near a register.

Within seconds, there was a tall, light-haired man in front of Ruby. "Hello there, miss. Will this be all for you today?"

"Yup, this is it!" Ruby replied cheerfully.

"Alright," the man said as he mashed several buttons on the register. "Your total is twelve lien exactly."

"Okay." Ruby pulled out a small, red wallet and slid her hand into the back of it, careful not to let any of its contents spill out. A few seconds passed and she eventually produced a small card with _Beacon Academy_ printed in large font over the front of it, while her name was at the bottom. "Here ya go."

The man took the card and slid it through the register. After a few beeps sounded, he handed the card back to Ruby with a smile. "Alright. Here's your card back, miss. Enjoy your movie."

Ruby took the card, then rounded up her things and walked to where Weiss was standing. "Okay, I'm all set. You sure you don't want anything? If you're worried about the money I can cover it," she said, her eyes darting back and forth between Weiss and the counter. "I don't really mind."

"I'll be fine without food or drink for a couple hours." Weiss then turned and started to walk further into the building, only to turn around and face Ruby. "Hold on, where are we going, anyway? They didn't tell us which room the movie was in."

"Oh, gimme juuust a second." Ruby positioned herself in a way that she was holding everything with one hand, then fumbled around in her pocket briefly with her free hand before bringing out the ticket. "Um, I think it's just down this hallway. It should be the third room on the left." She then put the ticket back in her pocket and began making her way down the hall. "Just follow me."

" _You_ think _, hm? That's reassuring."_ As Weiss followed Ruby down the hall, the room came into view. It was more extravagant than she thought it would be. Each room had a black, wooden archway with intricate details carved into it, framing a single set of large, metal doors. All this was accompanied by a velvet rug that ran through the entire hallway.

However, Weiss' impromptu sight-seeing was suddenly interrupted by Ruby. "Looks like we're here."

Ruby walked forward to open the door, only to be stopped by Weiss. "Your arms are full enough. I'll open the door."

"Thanks, Weiss."

The door took more force to open it than the heiress thought, but it was fairly easy. Once they were inside, the door shut, leaving the two girls in a nearly pitch black room. The only light that was present was a small string of dim, yellow lights that lined a narrow walkway throughout the room. They followed the lights up an incline, only to see a massive room with several dark silhouettes occupying what they could only assume to be seats.

"Man, it's dark in here. Normally it's not like this until the movie starts," Ruby whispered as she did her best to avoid losing her balance. "Where do you want to sit?"

Weiss scanned the room until her gaze fell on two seats toward the top row, directly in the middle. She lifted a finger and pointed in their direction. "What about up there? We won't have to strain our necks to see the screen that way."

Slowly, Ruby walked up a set of stairs, trying her best not to drop anything along the way. "Yeah, that'll work for me. Let's go."

After many scares involving Ruby and _almost_ spilling her drink on a few people, they arrived at their seats and sat down. Weiss let out a sigh of relief as she sat down, grateful that she didn't have to spend time apologizing to people for a misstep on Ruby's part. She then scooted backward in her seat until her back was touching it and pushed a button on the side that caused it to recline slightly. "I am always pleasantly surprised by the comfort of theater seats."

Once Ruby had set her drink in a cup holder and her popcorn in a safe place on her lap with zero chance of falling out of it, she looked at Weiss. "When you think about it, people sit here for hours at a time. I guess they just want them to be comfortable."

"I guess you have a good point."

Before either girl could say anything more, the room grew darker, which they thought was impossible, only for them to be surprised by an instant bright light as the movie screen lit up, lighting up everything in front of it.

Weiss halfway shielded her eyes from the bright light with one of her hands, then looked to Ruby. The brunette was staring wide-eyed straight at the screen. She looked like a kid in a candy store. Weiss couldn't help but smile a little. _"Dolt."_

* * *

Nearly an hour had passed since the movie started. For the most part, the two girls had simply been enjoying the film. A string of events had led to the main cast becoming stranded in a desert, which stirred something in Weiss. The more she thought about it, the more she realized her mouth was becoming incredibly dry. Every time wind blew sand on the screen, she couldn't help but feel like her mouth was just as dry as the desert. _"Fantastic. Maybe I_ should _have gotten something to drink earlier."_ Weiss looked down the row of seats her and Ruby were sitting in, only to be annoyed. _"Why does there have to be so many people here. It would just be annoying to walk past them."_ Deciding to deal with her thirst for as long as possible, Weiss leaned back in her seat and sighed, which caught her partner's attention.

Ruby set her elbow on the armrest between them and leaned toward Weiss. "Hey, is everything okay," she asked softly. "Do you think this movie's boring?"

The sudden breath of her partner on her ear caught the heiress by surprise and she instinctively jerked away slightly. A few seconds passed, and she quickly composed herself and relaxed. "No, the movie is fine. I'm just a bit thirsty. I'll be alright."

"I asked if you wanted anything before we sat down," Ruby said with a smirk on her face. She then grabbed her drink from the cup holder and put it in the one between her and Weiss. "Here, you can have some of mine if you want."

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll pass. I'm not big on sharing drinks."

"Okay, suit yourself." Ruby took a long drink from the cup and then sat it down and smiled. "I'll leave it right here in case you change your mind," she said as she leaned back into her own chair, her eyes returning to the bright screen in front of her.

Weiss rolled her eyes at the remark, then, she too, continued watching the movie. Still, with every passing second, her thirst grew. Her eyes darted to the styrofoam cup sitting next to her, then to Ruby, then back to the cup. Letting out a slow sigh, Weiss slowly reached for the drink and lifted it to her mouth. She drank from it quickly and let the liquid sit in her mouth for a moment before swallowing it. After another drink, she set it back down and let herself sink into her seat.

Before Weiss knew it, Ruby face was close to her again. "See, it didn't kill you."

"Q-Quiet, you. I'm trying to watch the movie." Weiss attempted to speak with as much of a commanding tone as she could with a whisper, but she couldn't hide the embarrassing quiver in her voice, which Ruby picked up on.

"Whatever you say, Weiss."

As the movie continued, tensions began to rise. The main characters were now delving into an abandoned, buried temple. The only light they had were some dimly lit torches they were carrying. With each step the group took, Ruby scooted further forward in her seat, until she was sitting on the edge. The group then rounded a corner and a decrepit, decaying hand shot through a crack in the wall, then grabbed one of the adventurers. Ruby, along with several other audience members, let out a scream and jumped. Without thinking, she reached over and grabbed Weiss' hand.

Just as absorbed in the film as Ruby and too scared to think rationally, Weiss returned the gesture by clutching Ruby's hand as well. Once the moment was over, the two girls looked at each other, then quickly looked away and released their grip on one another. Ruby shook it off quickly, but the feeling lingered in Weiss' mind. She was thankful that it was dark enough to hide the blush that she was sure she had. _"What is wrong with me today?"_ Suddenly, a bright flash of light in the movie illuminated Ruby's face; most notably, her eyes. The white light danced along the deep silver of Ruby's iris, which Weiss caught herself staring at. A loud shriek from a few of the characters on screen broke the heiress out of her trance, and she shook her head and rubbed her eyelids.

"You feeling okay?"

After she turned and was met with Ruby staring at her with a worrisome expression on her face, Weiss blinked rapidly and nodded. "I-I'm fine. The light simply caught me off guard. It should go away in a few minutes. I think I'm going to go get something to drink and some fresh air. Maybe that will help." As she stood up, she straightened her shirt and began to walk down the aisle, only for Ruby to stop her.

"Do you want me to go with you," Ruby asked sincerely, slight hints of concern in her voice. "I can if you want me to."

Weiss shook her head. "No, you can stay here. I wouldn't want you to miss anything. I'll be back in a few minutes, so don't worry about it." She quickly pushed her way passed Ruby before the brunette could stop her again, then gingerly worked her way through the aisle, being careful not to step on anyone's feet. Once she was clear, she quickened her pace until she was in the hallway, then leaned against the wall and looked around. Grateful that there were no other people around, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, which seemed to grant her some relief.

After a few more relaxing breaths, Weiss closed her eyes and let the back of her head rest against the wall. _"What the hell was_ that _?"_ She brought her hand up to her eyes and was surprised at how unsteady it was. She clenched her fist and let it drop to her side. Her heart was racing, and no matter how much she tried, her hands wouldn't stop shaking. After a few moments, she also noticed that her legs felt weak. She crouched down, then crossed her arms across her knees and laid her forehead onto them. _"Am I sick? What is all of this about? It came out of nowhere."_

Weiss pulled out her scroll after a couple of minutes had passed and checked the time. _"The movie still has around an hour left. I can't just leave her in there, especially after I agreed to come to town with her. If I'm sick, I'll just deal with it."_ She stood up, placed her scroll in her pocket, then took a deep breath and, slowly, walked back into the room. Her eyes had gotten used to the light in the hallway, so the room almost seemed pitch black. She narrowed her gaze in an attempt to turn the black blobs of people into somewhat identifiable shapes. She scanned the theater seats until she saw what she could only assume to be Ruby, her face illuminated by a dim light. Deciding that was the best she was going to get due to her impaired vision, she started to climb the stairs and weave her way through the crowd until she was sitting next to her partner.

"Do you feel better?" Ruby asked, though she didn't take her eyes off the screen this time.

Weiss nodded. "Yes, I feel better. I suppose I just needed some fresh air."

"That's good. Did you get something to drink?"

Slapping herself internally, Weiss sighed. "Oh, I forgot. If you don't mind sharing yours again, I shouldn't need to."

"S-Sure, I don't mind sharing. Feel free to drink however much you want." Ruby passed her drink back to the cup holder between them, albeit somewhat shakily, which caught Weiss' attention.

"Are _you_ okay?"

"Yep," Ruby said, albeit a bit louder than she meant to. "I'm just really into this movie."

Weiss was curious, but decided to let it go for the time being. "… Alright then."

* * *

Before they knew it, Ruby and Weiss found themselves sitting through the credits after the movie, waiting to see if it had a secret scene at the end. As the last line of text scrolled by, the screen turned black and the main lights came on, illuminating the entire theater room. "Welp, that was a bust," Ruby said, disappointment heavy in her voice. "I was looking forward to at least _something_ after that. It was pretty good, though." She then stood up and brushed several popcorn crumbs off her clothes. "What did you think about it?"

"I have to admit, I didn't have high hopes going into it, but I was pleasantly surprised." Weiss took an outstretched hand that Ruby offered and got out of her seat. "I actually wouldn't be opposed to seeing another one at some point, should the opportunity present itself."

The girls made their way down the flight of stairs and into the hallway. They walked through the theater in comfortable silence until they were out of the building. As they stepped through the large doors that led outside, they shielded their eyes from the unexpected sunlight that felt as if it was blinding them. Ruby threw an arm over face and gasped. "Ow, too bright. Too bright!"

Weiss completely closed one eye and squinted with the other. Her vision was blurry this way, but at least she could actually see without her eyes feeling like they were melting. "No kidding. I should have brought sunglasses with me."

In addition to the sudden onslaught of brightness, there was a surprising warmth as well. The theater was a bit on the colder side, but it was kept _just_ warm enough to not be considered uncomfortable. Even though it was winter, simply being in direct sunlight seemed to warm the girls up.

Once their eyes adjusted, Weiss turned to Ruby. "So, did you have anything else planned for today," she asked as she pulled out her scroll. "It's still quite early, so it would almost seem wasteful to head back to the dorm."

Smiling, Ruby nodded and pulled out her own scroll. She looked like she was sending a message, but Weiss didn't acknowledge it. Ruby then put the device away and clapped her hands together. "I was actually wondering if you wanted to go eat somewhere. I have a place in mind, but we can go wherever you want."

"Well, _I_ came to town with _you,_ not the other way around. I'll let you decide."

"Cool. There is a really good restaurant that's not too far from here. It's just a few minutes away by foot." Ruby started to walk away from the theater, motioning for Weiss to follow her. "C'mon, it's this way." As she walked, she quickly pulled out her scroll, only to put it away just as fast. As she put it away, Weiss' pace hastened until she was side by side with her.

"So, what sort of restaurant are we going to?"

"It's this diner that I've been to a few times. I really like it. I haven't been there in years, though. The last time I went was before me and Y-" A raised eyebrow on Weiss' part caused Ruby to backtrack her sentence a bit. "The last time was when _Yang and I_ went here before we started at Beacon." The brunette's grammatical correction made a smile force its way onto her partner's face. "The food is great and the staff is really nice, too."

"I'll take your opinion into account, but I'll hold final judgment until I see it for myself."

Ruby shrugged. "That's fair, I guess. But if you don't like it you'd better tell me. Otherwise, if I ever talk you into doing this again I'll know not to bring you here."

"To be fair, if anything, _I_ should be the one to take _you_ out." Weiss blushed slightly. "Y-You know, into town, out to movies, that sort of thing."

Nodding vigorously, Ruby stuttered," Y-Yeah, of course. I'd be happy to go somewhere with you."

An awkward silence then quickly grew between the two, which neither of them liked. Despite each girl's internal turmoil regarding the situation, the silence remained until a large sign came into view. "Oh, hey! There it is," Ruby exclaimed as she pointed a finger toward the sign.

As they drew closer, they started to be able to make out what the sign said.

 _ **Welcome to Steel's Diner**_

As an audible growl escaped from Ruby's stomach, she sped up, waving for Weiss to do the same. "Let's go, I'm starving!" Weiss rolled her eyes, but matched her strides with Ruby's.

Less than a minute passed before they were standing in front of the entrance. It wasn't quite what Weiss was expecting. The building itself was a long, white half-circle with blue trim. Large round windows dotted the side down the entire length of the building. The entrance had a rough looking blue carpet that laid in front of two glass doors that said "STEEL'S" in bright, blue letters at the top.

Ruby pushed the doors open and Weiss was immediately hit with several smells she couldn't identify. At one point she smelled something similar to barbecue, but the next was pizza, then the next was something else. This pattern continued until all the fragrances melded together. To Weiss, the only thing that came to mind was "comforting". It was strange, but that was the only word she could put to it.

"Hey, do you wanna go sit down at the counter?"

Weiss registered the voice, but she didn't reply. She instead focused on her surroundings.

The linoleum floor had one, long, blue stripe running down the center from the entrance to the back of the restaurant. Beside it, two blue lines on either side joined it. Then, next to those, were white diamonds that repeated to cover up the remaining floor space. The walls seemed to follow the same design as the floors, with matching color schemes for the tables and chairs littered throughout.

Snapping fingers in front of her face brought Weiss back to reality. "Hey, you never answered me."

Weiss blinked sever times. "… Huh?"

"Do you wanna sit at the counter," Ruby asked. "We can sit at a table if you want."

"The counter is fine with me."

Ruby stepped toward the counter and sat down on a chair, then patted the seat of the one next to her. "C'mon, the menus are on the counter."

Weiss slid into her chair and grabbed the menu in front of her. As she looked it over, skipping over everything that had the word "fried" in the name, a deep, gravely voice caught her attention.

"Aye, you look familiar. We met b'fore?"

Before Weiss could respond to the person she could only assume was talking to her, Ruby spoke up. "Um, maybe? I used to come here a lot, but I haven't been here in a long time."

The man that now stood before the girls was very tall. He stood six-foot-five at least. He had broad shoulders and was clearly muscled, which could be easily seen despite the apron he was wearing. He had short, dark brown hair that turned gray on the sides and a closely trimmed beard. It was an intimidating sight. The man crossed his arms and nodded. "Yeah, I 'member you. Yer Taiyang's daughter, ain'tcha?"

Surprised, Ruby set her menu down. "Oh, you know my dad?"

"Sure do." The man studied the scythe-wielder's face. "Yep, I've seen pitchers of you b'fore. Yer name was… Robin?"

Giggling, Ruby shook her head. "Ruby, but you were close."

The man let out a loud laugh. "Ah, forgive me, my memory ain't what it used to be. I haven't seen Tai in a good long while. Name's Umber, nice to meetcha," the man said while pulling a towel from a pocket in his apron and wiping his hands. He then looked to his left and made eye contact with Weiss. "And I definitely know who you are. It's nice to meet a Schnee, so long as it ain't that Jaques. No offense."

Relieved that the man seemed nice enough after recognizing her, Weiss waved her hand dismissively. "None taken. Very few people dislike my father more than I do."

The remark made the man smile. "Pleasure, ma'am," Umber said through a soft chuckle. He then turned his back on the pair and began to walk through a set of swinging doors, but looked behind him before the doors shut. "I'll be back in a couple minutes. You two have a good gander at yer menus." As the doors swung closed, a plume of steam escaped from the doorway, which seemingly made him vanish.

"Sorry about that," Ruby started, "I didn't know anyone would know who I was since I haven't been here in so long," She said apologetically as she raised her menu.

"You don't have to apologize. It's nice to have someone else be recognized beside me for once." Weiss' eyes scanned her menu. There were several options she thought sounded appetizing, which was a pleasant surprise. After a few brief moments of deliberation, she decided on her order. "I think I'm going to order the ribeye. It's been quite some time since I've had a good steak. What about you?"

"I'm getting the cheeseburger. I kinda decided on that before we actually got here. If we went somewhere else I would have been fine with it, but I remember loving the burgers here."

About five minutes passed and Umber came out of the back, steam once again following him like a visible aura. He set down two glasses of water on the counter and let his forearms rest beside them. "So, did the two of you find anything that caught yer eye?"

Ruby looked to Weiss, who merely gestured for her to go first. She faced Umber and laid her menu on the counter, then pointed to the burger on it. "I want _this_. All the way with extra pickles please."

The man smiled and nodded in confirmation, then faced Weiss. "And fer you, miss?"

Weiss copied Ruby's movements and pointed to her steak. "I'll have the ribeye, please."

"Alrighty. How would you like that cooked?"

"Medium rare," Weiss said as she closed her menu.

"Ain't that somethin'. A lotta people 'round here don't know the best way to eat a steak. Makes me happy to see that at least _someone_ does." Umber laughed as he stood up and stretched his back as he did so, which made him seem even taller to Ruby and Weiss. "Welp, 'fore I get yall's orders started, can I getcha somethin' to drink 'sides water?"

Weiss pulled one of the glasses close to her and grabbed the base of it with both hands. "I'm fine with water, thank you. Ruby?"

"Well, actually, I would love some root beer if that's okay."

"Course it is." Umber gently slapped the counter and started to walk to his left toward a fountain machine that looked like it had been built into the wall behind the counter. He grabbed a cup identical to the one Ruby already had, then filled it with ice and root beer until it _almost_ overflowed. He then placed it on the counter. "Heads up," he yelled as he slid it down the smooth surface to Ruby, who scrambled to catch it.

"Thank you," Ruby said as she took a sip from the top in an attempt to keep it from spilling over.

"Yer very welcome. I'll go get those orders in."

As umber disappeared behind the swinging doors yet again, Ruby placed an elbow on the table and let her chin rest in her hand. "So, what do you think of this place so far," she asked while she took a drink.

Weiss looked around before returning her attention to the girl next to her. "Honestly, it's a lot nicer than I expected." A look of confusion appeared on the heiress' face for a brief moment. "Come to think of it, I'm not really sure _what_ I expected." Weiss tapped her fingers on the counter, then took a drink of her water. "Nevertheless, I'm surprised, but in a good way."

The answer seemed to make Ruby happy, as she smiled and began to look around the room herself. "Yeah, it's changed a little bit since I was here last, but It's mostly the same. They used to have a jukebox here, but it looks like they got rid of it." Her tone seemed to carry a hint of disappointment to it, but Weiss was simply relieved that the rest of the customers wouldn't have to sit through whatever vile ear torture Ruby might possibly play.

Slowly, Weiss' gaze eventually found its way to a television that had been set up in one of the corners near her and Ruby. There was no sound that she could make out, but there were subtitles. It was essentially news coverage about the upcoming meteor shower. Weiss had nearly forgotten about it. The more she thought about it, the more she thought it might be a good time to me-

"Weiss, the food is here."

The ivory-haired huntress snapped back in her seat and immediately noticed how warm her cheek was that had been resting on her hand. She must have been daydreaming for longer than she thought. Whatever thoughts she was having were quickly diminished by the sight in front of her. The steak she ordered definitely wasn't five-star quality, but it looked magnificent. She never, in a million years, would have guessed that it came from a diner such as this one. "Wow. This looks incredible."

"Glad ya think so." Umber rattled. "Everything look good to you?" He asked Ruby, who was in shock of the size of the burger in front of her, a thin stream of drool hanging from her mouth. After a snort and a laugh, Umber turned around. "I'll take that as a yes. Just holler for me when y'all are ready to pay."

"Thanks, Umber," Ruby said as she tried to figure out how exactly she was going to bite the monster sized sandwich in her hands. She could barely hold it together, let alone bite into it without making it fall apart.

On the other end of things, Weiss was taking great joy in eating her steak. It tasted even better than it looked, and she thought it looked _damn_ good. It seemed like each bit was better than the last; juicier, more flavorful, more tender. It was delicious. But no matter how good it was, it couldn't pull her away from the hilarious sight that was Ruby trying to eat.

"Ah, forget it." Ruby placed her food down on the plate, squished it, then cut it into fourths. They were still quite large, but they were more manageable this way. Ruby then picked up a piece and dug in. It was better than she remembered. "Ma, dish ish reaeey goo."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Talking. Mouth full. Swallow and try again so I can understand you, please."

Ruby swallowed the huge bite of food quickly. "Sorry. This is really good. How's yours?"

"This is some of the best food I've had all year. It's delicious," she replied as she cut another bit of her steak.

Ruby smirked. "Wow, a steak good enough to be complemented by a Schnee."

This earned her a glare from Weiss. "Very funny."

A jab and a smile from Ruby made the slightest hint of annoyance in Weiss dissipate. "I'm glad you like it. I wasn't sure how you would feel about his place, but you haven't complained so far, so I'll take that as a good sign, I guess."

"Honestly, there hasn't been anything to complain about. The restaurant's good, the staff seems genuine, and the food would make up for the other two if I had any complaints about them. I wouldn't mind coming here again, should the opportunity present itself."

Happy with Weiss' words, Ruby returned to her food, while Weiss did the same.

* * *

"Glad you girls enjoyed yer food. Thank ya fer the tip, Miss Schnee. But I think this is a bit much."

"Don't worry about it. I think great service should be rewarded," Weiss said as she placed a white and blue wallet into her back pocket.

"I appreciate it miss. Y'all come back and see us. And Ruby, tell yer dad to drop by sometime, whenever you see him next."

"Will do."

The two girls waved goodbye to Umber and walked out of the restaurant, only to be greeted by a swift, cold breeze blowing through the city. Ruby bundled herself up by wrapping her arms around herself, but the gust passed rather quickly. Pulling out her scroll and checking the time, Ruby turned to her partner. "So, we watched a movie and ate dinner. Dinner lasted a little longer than I thought it would, so we don't really have time for anything else."

Weiss' eyes drifted to the horizon. The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving only a small glimmer of light behind it that lit up a cloud-filled sky with shades of dark orange and red. "It _is_ starting to get dark. If I'm being honest, I would be fine with heading back to the airships, unless you had something in mind."

"Not really. I mean, everything that I can think of would be getting ready to close right around now." Ruby placed her scroll in her pocket, then stretched her arms behind her back and brought them over her head, letting out a relieved groan. "Since that's the case, you wanna head to the docks," she asked as stepped forward until she was right next to Weiss. "I'm gonna be honest, I'm feeling a little sleepy anyway."

Nodding softly in agreement, Weiss brought a finger up and wiped one of her eyes. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit tired myself."

"Then it's settled," Ruby said as she started to make her way toward their destination. "C'mon, let's get back and sleep!"

Ruby and Weiss' walk to the airship docks was spent in silence. Once they noticed how late it was, it was as if all the energy seemed to drain from their bodies. They were more tired than they realized and were now simply wanting to make it to the dorm before they passed out, instead of trying to make conversation. Before long, the docks came into view and they quickly boarded their ship.

"You want the window seat this time?" Ruby groggily asked. "After all, I had it last time."

"No," Weiss replied, taking the seat furthest from the window. "I'll leave it to you. Honestly, I'll be lucky if I manage to stay awake through the entire flight."

Ruby happily took her seat and stared out the window. The dark shades that were cast by the sun had now turned into dim purples and blues, leading to a sky quickly turning black, littered with stars. "It's a really pretty night."

Weiss glanced out the window and couldn't help but agree with her. The way the blackness seemed to slowly overtake all the vibrant colors that were once there was almost morbidly beautiful. "It is, isn't it," she said through a yawn as she fastened her seat belt. "It looks like the clouds are clearing, as well. Maybe tomorrow we'll get more sunlight than we did today."

As the pilot announced that they were taking off, Ruby leaned back and made sure her seat belt was secure. "Yeah, maybe." She then turned to the white-haired girl to her side and smiled warmly. "Thanks for coming with me today, Weiss. I had fun today."

"No need to thank me, I _did_ lose our bet, after all. Besides, you weren't the only one that had a good time. I wouldn't mind doing this again sometime."

The rumbling of the airship as it ascended drowned out any reply Ruby could have made. However, the roar of the engines and the turbulence that accompanied it quickly died down, letting the passengers feel like they were actually sitting still instead of being on some oddly rigged roller coaster.

With the ship coasting through the air and the scenery beneath them zipping by too fast to really make anything out, Ruby let the back of her head hit her seat, sank slightly, and closed her eyes.

Meanwhile, Weiss was too busy looking at her scroll to notice. She was too tired to have a conversation, but she knew that if she fell asleep on the ship that she would wake up with a stiff neck and a bad attitude. The only thing she could think to do was look at meaningless things online. At least that would keep her fingers busy, which in turn would keep her awake. It wasn't until the sensation of something hitting her shoulder that she looked up from the bright screen in front of her.

Weiss looked down and couldn't fight the half-smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. _"Dolt."_

Ruby had fallen asleep, then had managed to slump over and land on Weiss' shoulder during some surprise turbulence. Normally Weiss would have woken her up or gently moved her to the side, but she was too tired to care at the moment. Although, one thing she couldn't help but notice, was Ruby. The way the moonlight came through the window of the ship and struck her face was almost haunting. She couldn't keep herself from staring, and soon found that the unease and anxiety she felt at the theater had come rushing back to her.

Weiss could feel her heartbeat quicken and her cheeks become flushed. It was to a far lesser extent than it was earlier, but she could only assume it was because she was becoming sleepier by the second. _"Maybe I'll go see the nurse tomorrow,"_ she told herself. But she knew that she wasn't sick. At least, she wasn't _just_ sick. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something in her had changed, and she was going to figure out what. But, not until she had a good night's rest. Before she knew it, her eyes closed as the side of her head met the top of Ruby's and she drifted out of consciousness, the dull hum of the airship acting as a makeshift lullaby.

* * *

 **Finally. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. It came out way longer than I wanted it to, but I think part of that's due to being gone so long. I really felt like I owed you guys a long one. Thanks to everyone that stuck it out and waited for this thing. I know it could have its rough spots, but I hope it wasn't _completely_ terrible. With that, I'll see you guys in the next one.**

 **:D**


	20. A Face to the Name

"Weiss."

Weiss felt the sensation of someone shaking. It was odd, as she wouldn't know why that would happen. She also heard a distant voice. It sounded odd, almost as if someone was screaming her name right next to her, yet somehow sounding like they were extremely far away. She opened her mouth to say something, only for unintelligible muttering to come out.

"Weiss!"

The voice grew louder, and her world slowly turned black. She opened her mouth again, but only managed to push out a frustrated groan. After she "spoke", the shaking became stronger and the mysterious voice became even more audible.

"Weiss, wake up!"

Suddenly, Weiss opened her eyes, which she didn't even realize were closed. She was forced to squint as they were met with a bright light that seemed to be hovering above her head. Her eyes adjusted to the light in a few seconds, and one by one, she regained use of her other senses. A loud rumbling noise made her finally muster the strength to sit up. She took in her surroundings and was met with a pair of big, silver eyes staring at her. "R-Ruby?" she said groggily. "What are you doing?"

Ruby stood up straight and placed her hands on her hips. "Waking you up; we're back. I figured you would rather sleep in your bed instead of that chair." She pointed to an open door behind her and offered a hand to Weiss. "They're boarding the next group, so we should go."

" _That's right. I fell asleep on the ship."_ Weiss grabbed Ruby's hand and pulled herself out of her seat. As she stood, she felt a sharp pain in her neck. She quickly brought her hand up and rubbed it. _"Great. I hope that goes away by tomorrow morning."_

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked as the pair made their way off the ship. "Hurt your neck?"

"Seems like it. Sorry that I fell asleep. I didn't mean to."

"Don't worry about it. I fell asleep first, after all."

Weiss carefully made her way down a ramp that extended from the base of the airship and gently stepped onto the hard stone walkway that led through the campus. Ruby, on the other hand, lost her footing at the end of the ramp and stumbled and would have fallen, had Weiss not been there to catch her. "Be more careful, dolt."

With her partner's help, Ruby stood upright and smiled. "Thanks. I'd rather not smash my face into the ground."

After the near-miss with Ruby's steps, the two girls began to head toward the school. "Honestly, I'd rather you not do that as well. I can only imagine trying to explain it to Yang. She would immediately assume someone beat you up, somehow, no matter how capable of a fighter you are."

"Is that a compliment?" Ruby playfully jabbed at Weiss. "Because even if it isn't, I'm gonna take it as one."

Weiss rolled her eyes, but smiled internally. "I wouldn't say it is, but I wouldn't say it isn't either." The indescribable emotions Weiss felt earlier were far from her mind. Her brief nap and her current tiredness helped her forget about it for the time being. "I'll just leave it at that for now."

Once the teasing died down, the rest of the walk to the dorm was relatively silent. Ruby and Weiss were starting to feel sleepier by the second and neither girl had the mental strength to have an interesting conversation. The only thing they were thinking about was their beds.

After a few minutes of walking with the only sound being the sound of footsteps on stone and distant voices of other people, they reached the main entrance of the school. They made their way under the enormous, ornate arch and pushed through a set of large doors. Due to the darkness outside that they had grown used to, they were forced to squint at the bright lights of the main hall as they hit their eyes.

"Bright in here," Ruby groaned, rubbing one of her eyes with a loose fist.

"It sure is," Weiss muttered in response, the sudden light quickly replacing her exhaustion with annoyance.

When the pair started to debate how it would feel to sleep on the floor tonight, the dorm room came into view, giving them a small second wind. With both a physical and emotional push, their pace quickened, though not by a marginal amount, and they reached their target.

Ruby reached out and grabbed the doorknob, twisted it, then slowly pushed open the door. They had left Blake and Yang alone and she didn't want to surprise them if they were… being a couple. However, as she opened the door all worry left her mind. She gasped and opened the door further. "Weiss, look," she whispered as she pointed inside the surprisingly dark room.

Weiss' eyes followed Ruby's finger, which led them to Blake's bed. The faunus and Yang had fallen asleep together. Due to the dark room and flashing tv screen, she could only assume they were watching a movie when it happened. Even in her sleep, Yang had managed to wrap an arm around her girlfriend, while Blake had nuzzled her face into Yang's neck. For some reason, the sight made Weiss feel… angry? No, that wasn't it. It was something else, something she couldn't put a word to for some reason.

"Aren't they cute?" Ruby stared at the couple with pure joy as she walked into the room, followed by Weiss. She kicked off her shoes, then walked to the bunk bed she shared with her partner. It was much sturdier than the ones they had started with. It had the benefit of being an _actual_ bunk bed instead of one held up by rope, dangerously swinging over the one below it. She leaned against one of four broad, wooden posts that held the two beds together and stared at her sleeping teammates. She couldn't help but feel slightly jealous that she didn't have anyone as they did. Her train of thought then led her to remember her friend she hadn't spoken to. _"I should text Blue."_

As Ruby pulled out her scroll, Weiss pulled out a set of clothes from her dresser and turned to face her. "I think I'm going to try to take a shower without falling asleep. Do you need in the bathroom before I get in?"

Ruby tossed her scroll onto her bed and pushed herself away from the post she had been using as support. "Yeah, let me in there real quick."

As Ruby ran into the bathroom, Weiss sat on her bed. The sound of the bathroom door clicking shut was enough to stir Yang awake somehow. The blonde's eyes opened slightly, then fell on Weiss. The two girls stared at each other for a few moments, before Yang's eyes shut and she breathed heavily. "What time is it?"

"Late," Weiss said flatly. "Ruby and I just got back."

Yang slowly blinked her eyes then attempted to sit upright, only to be stopped by a sleeping faunus using her arm as a pillow. She craned her neck and looked up at Ruby's bed, then back to Weiss. "Where's Ruby?"

"She's in the bathroom."

A loud, long yawn escaped from Yang's mouth. She carefully slid her arm out from under Blake's head and placed the faunus' head on an _actual_ pillow. She then stretched her arms above her head and groaned. "So, how was y'all's d-"

"It was fine," Weiss said quickly, cutting off the last word in Yang's question. "I actually had a pretty good time. I think Ruby feels the same way."

"What did you guys do?" Yang was becoming more inquisitive the longer she was awake, much to Weiss' annoyance.

Weiss shrugged as her gaze fell to the pile of clothes in her lap. "Nothing much. We went to a movie and went to a diner that Ruby enjoyed." Weiss' memories of the movie came back to her bit by bit. "By the time we got out of the restaurant it was too late for anything else, so we decided to come back."

"Hm."

No matter how dark the room was, or if she was staring at her change of clothes, Weiss knew Yang was staring directly at her. She could feel the blonde's eyes cutting through her. She cleared her throat, then took a deep breath. "A-Actually, there was something I would like to… talk to you about. Something… _happened_ , and I can't explain it."

After throwing the blanket off herself and bounding to the edge of the bed with just enough force to make sure Blake didn't wake up, Yang sat on the edge of the bed, placed her hands on her knees, then leaned forward. "What? What? What happened?" Excitement was obvious on the brawler's face, though Weiss couldn't see it due to avoiding eye contact with her.

"W-Well… I-"

The sound of the bathroom door opening caused the heiress to shut her mouth immediately. "Okay, Weiss. The bathroom is all yours." Ruby glanced at her partner, then at who she was having a conversation with. "Oh, you're awake. We didn't wake you up when we got back, did we?"

Yang gave Weiss a look that said "talk later", then composed herself to the best of her ability and turned around. "I couldn't tell ya, honestly. I just remember waking up, so don't worry about it."

Weiss stood, then quickly made her way to the bathroom, taking great care to obscure her face from Ruby to hide the blush that she knew she had. She stepped into the bathroom, flipped the light switch and shut the door. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and made her way to the counter. After setting her clothes down, she turned on the shower and let steam fill the room. The events of the night were now playing in her mind like a movie. Weiss spun around and stared into the mirror by the sink. She stared at the reflection of her eyes until the steam obscured them from view, which brought her back to reality.

" _Nurse. Tomorrow."_ She then stepped into the shower and let the hot, cascading water ease her mind.

Once she came out of the bathroom, she noticed the rest of her team had gone to sleep. As quietly as she could, she tip-toed across the room until she got to her bed. She threw a blanket over herself and laid down, but no matter how hard she shut her eyes, she couldn't sleep. Every time she would get close to drifting off, a memory of the night would pop in her head and jolt her awake. _"Well, this is just great. If I can't sleep tonight I will have the brain capacity of a zombie tomorrow."_

Just when she had reached the peak of her silent anger, her scroll lit up. She had set the volume on silent to avoid waking her teammates up should someone call or text, but she always did that. She never expected someone to actually text her this late, though she was even more surprised by the name on her screen.

" _This is from… Red."_

 _ **Hey, I know it's late, but would you want to talk?**_

Weiss eagerly texted a reply. Anything that would help clear her head was all she wanted. A text from a friend was a welcome distraction.

W: **I don't mind. I'm having trouble sleeping, so I'm not opposed to having a conversation for a while.**

After she sent her message, Weiss felt calmer. She hadn't talked to Red today, despite the fact that she wanted to text them earlier. Almost every time she talked to Yang, she wanted to question her about Blue. It was nice to have the opportunity to talk about normal things for once.

 _ **Oh, sorry you can't sleep. Honestly, I can't either. I've been laying in bed for thirty minutes with my eyes closed and couldn't get to sleep. I had to turn my scroll on silent so I wouldn't wake up my team.**_

Weiss was glad that she wasn't the only one that disliked disturbing her teammate's slumber, even if part of it was so she wouldn't have to talk to them right now.

W: **I've done the same. I've always liked to have my 'me' time. If I can do it without waking my team up, that's even better.**

While she was happy that she had someone to talk to about normal things, she couldn't think of what to say. At this rate, the conversation wouldn't go anywhere. She quickly typed a follow-up message and sent it along with the previous one.

W: **So, how was your day?**

The reply came much quicker than Weiss expected. In fact, she pretty much constantly had her scroll in front of her face. Once the two of them actually had a topic to go on, the messages came fast.

 _ **It was great. I went to the movies with a friend. What about you?**_

W: **Well, that's a coincidence, I went to the theater as well. For the lack of a better term, I had a "friend date".**

 _ **Oh, that's cool. It took me a while, but I finally managed to get one of my teammates out of the school for once and they went with me. She's my best friend, so I was pretty happy.**_

W: **That's nice. Honestly, I should get out more. I spend a lot of time studying, but I usually have a good time whenever I do spend some time with my team, I just never think it's the right time.**

 _ **I'm kinda the opposite. I should really spend more time studying, but I hate it. I would just rather spend my time doing something else.**_

The message made Weiss smile. _"I wish Ruby would think like that."_ They messaged back and forth for a while, but Weiss eventually felt her eyes start to get heavy and glanced at the clock. _"It's that late already?"_ She mustered the little bit of energy she had left to quickly work her fingers across her keyboard.

W: **I don't mean to be rude and I had a nice time talking, but I'm getting tired and it's getting late. I'm sorry to say I think I'll have to end our conversation here.**

Weiss was almost asleep when the bright light of her scroll jolted her awake just long enough to read the message she received.

 _ **That's fine. I'm getting kinda sleepy too. I'll talk to you later, Blue. Feel free to text me tomorrow if you want. Goodnight.**_

One final message was all Weiss could manage before she fell asleep, still holding her scroll.

W: **Goodnight, Red.**

* * *

The dorm room was relatively quiet. Ruby and Blake were both in bed, but Weiss and Yang were having a conversation. Yang had woken up due what she would only say was a weird dream, and caught Weiss while she was going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. She decided to talk to her about what happened earlier and finally managed to get her to talk about it.

"Okay. Time to spill, Weiss. What happened," Yang whispered. She was sitting next to the heiress in question on her bed. "You looked really nervous earlier and I just want to make sure you're okay. Did something bad happen?"

Weiss shook her head, her loose hair swaying in front of her face. "No, nothing bad. It's just… When Ruby and I were in the movie, I started to feel rather uncomfortable. I assumed I was sick and it subsided rather quickly, but I couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it, somehow."

Yang crossed her legs, then her arms. "Which means, what, exactly?"

After a sigh of frustration escaped her lips, Weiss put her face in her hands. "Honestly, I don't know. It was just so _weird_. I've never felt like that before." Weiss groaned quietly and shook her head. "This is so stupid. I don't even know why I'm freaking out about it!"

Wess' voice came out louder than she meant, and she clamped her hands over her mouth when she heard both Ruby and Blake stirring in their sleep. Yang brought a hand up and placed it on Weiss' shoulder. "It's okay, that wasn't enough to wake them up."

"Regardless, I think I'm going to go to bed. I'm exhausted and I'm just ready for this day to be over. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow morning."

Yang stood up, but didn't get into bed just yet. "You sure?" Yang was trying to be genuine without making the rapier-wielder mad. An angry Ice Queen is something that no one enjoyed dealing with.

"Yes. Thank you, Yang. Goodnight." Weiss then slid underneath her sheets and turned her back to the blonde.

Sighing, Yang crawled into her own bed. "Goodnight."

* * *

The sound of muffled voices and a bright light shining on her caused Ruby to wake up from her not-quite-deep sleep. She rolled onto her side and shielded herself from the onslaught of sunlight beaming down on her through her window, then cracked on eye open. Across from her were Yang and Blake. The couple was sitting on Yang's bed talking about what Ruby could only assume to be something on Yang's scroll. She groaned and sat up, catching the attention of her sister.

"Oh, you're awake," Yang said as she hopped off her bed and stretched her arms above her head. "How'd you sleep?"

Ruby groaned and yawned. "Okay, I guess."

"Yang, I'll be back. I'm heading to the library to find that book I was talking about." Blake slid off the bed and waved to the two girls on her way out of the dorm.

Yang then climbed up Ruby's bed and sat next to her. "So, it's just the two of us."

Ruby shrugged. "Looks that way," she groused, her voice somewhat raspy.

"Do you… wanna talk?" Yang scooted closer to her sister. "I know you just woke up, but you texted me while you were in the movie last night. I didn't bring it up since you and Weiss looked tired, but I was just wondering if you wanted to have a sisterly talk."

"Oh, right, the text." Ruby rubbed her eyes with a finger and thumb and tilted her head to the side until her neck popped. "I almost forgot about that." Ruby brought out her scroll and stared at the text she had sent Yang.

 _ **Hey, sis. I don't have a long time to talk. Me and Weiss are at the movies and she just left for a minute. We were watching the movie, but I started to feel weird before she left. I'm not sure why. Do you think I'm sick or something?**_

Just after that was another message, obviously sent in haste.

 _ **Nvrmnd shes back ttyl**_

Ruby felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and was greeted by a pair of lilac eyes staring intently at her. "So, you wanna tell me what all that was about?"

Ruby took in a relaxing breath. "Honestly, I don't remember it that well. We were just watching the movie and I looked at Weiss for a second. I don't know why, but… I don't know. She just looked _different_. I mean, she didn't, but she did. I can't describe it. After that, I just starting feeling really weird."

Yang's grip on her sister relaxed. "What do you think happened?"

Ruby brought her hands up and stared at them. "I don't know. My hands felt tingly and I swear I felt my heartbeat in my brain. I just felt weird. That's the best way to describe it, I think. I know it sounds dumb, but I really can't think of another way to say it. I might have just been sick. I was kinda freaking out, but I calmed down after we got out of the movie."

"Well, maybe you really were sick. I don't know why you would go from sick to not sick so fast, but hell, I'm not a doctor. What do I know? Is it still bothering you?"

Ruby shook her head. "Not really."

Yang pulled Ruby into a tight side-hug and smiled. "Well, if you start feeling that way again. Come find me. I'll do my best to help you through it. I'll even go to the nurse with you if you think you're sick. I love you."

"Love you too, sis."

Yang gently slapped her legs and jumped off the bed, then turned around. "So, how is your other friend doin'?"

A confused expression worked its way onto Ruby's face, then her eyes widened and she clumsily fumbled with her scroll. "Crap! I told them I would message them later yesterday. I meant to text them after we got back, but I totally forgot!"

"Calm down. Did they text you?"

"N-No…" Ruby said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "It doesn't look like it."

"Then I think it's fine. If they were mad or something, they would tell you, right?"

Sighing, Ruby jumped off her bed and sighed. "Yeah, I guess." Her attention was then drawn to the empty bed beneath hers. "Hey, Where's Weiss?"

"Dunno." Yang shrugged. "I think she said something about going to get some breakfast. She seemed a lot better than last night."

Puzzled, Ruby asked, "What do you mean?"

" _Damn."_ Yang's mind raced as she tried to think of an excuse. She didn't want to tell Ruby about the talk she had with Weiss last night, but she was struggling to think of something to say. "Oh, she was just talking about something last night after y'all got back. She told me she wasn't feeling good when y'all were in the movie."

"Oh, she mentioned that, huh? She left for a while but she never told me what was wrong, just that she didn't feel good." Ruby kicked her legs forward and landed on the floor with a dull thud. "Alright, I guess I'm gonna go find her and see if she's feeling better."

Yang gestured to Ruby's outfit and cleared her throat.

Ruby glanced at herself and grinned sheepishly. "… After I get dressed."

"Good idea."

* * *

"So, there is _nothing_ is wrong with me?"

"Well, miss Schnee, I can't find anything wrong with you. As far as I can tell, you're in perfect health."

The news was exactly what Weiss _didn't_ want to hear. She had gone to the nurse's office before she made it to the cafeteria. She fully planned to get breakfast like she had told Yang, but she couldn't get last night out of her head. Even if it was something really out there, she wanted to have a discernible cause for her freak-out session the previous day. "Are you certain? Surely there must be some sort of explanation."

The nurse sat down on a stool and grabbed a chart as she scooted closer to Weiss. "Well, Let me go over your symptoms one last time." She flipped through a few pages before stopping and placing a pen at the top, then brought it down slowly. "Let's see here… Fast heart rate, tingling hands, hot face, unexplainable sensations in your chest..." She looked to Weiss for confirmation after each word until she got to the bottom of the list. "If I had to give any sort of diagnosis, I would say you had a very mild panic attack, but there is only one thing that fits _all_ of your symptoms."

Confused, Weiss crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"You said you experienced these symptoms at a movie with a friend, right?" After placing her chart on a nearby table, the nurse smiled and let her hands rest in her lap. "You have a crush."

The only thing the nurse got in response was a blank stare. "E-Excuse me?" Weiss' words were heavy with both disbelief and annoyance. "Did you just say what I think you said?" After her question, she remembered to blink.

"Yes, I did."

Weiss stood out of the chair she had been sitting in with so much force it rocked slightly. "Are you implying I have romantic feelings for my best friend? That is the craziest thing I have ever heard." With each word, she grew angrier, though she wasn't sure why.

"Either that, or something she did reminded you of someone else. Is there someone else you think you would have these kinds of feelings for?"

Weiss' mind wandered to Red, but she quickly brushed the thoughts away. "No. There is not." Weiss then turned and walked toward the doorway. She opened the door and stepped outside. "If I were to call my father, you would-" The heiress managed to stop herself. She had been trying to drop everything to do with her family and not use her name for anything. In the process, she had become a nicer person, but sometimes her old self managed to slip through the cracks. She hung her head and breathed deeply. "I'm sorry. Thank you, miss Olive." Before the nurse had a chance to respond, Weiss shut the door. _"What the HELL did she mean by all that? Telling me I could have a crush on Ruby? Insanity."_

The sound of Weiss' stomach growling caught her attention. Suddenly, she remembered how hungry she was. She decided to give her brain a rest for the moment and began to walk toward the cafeteria. She chose to just stare at the floor in front of her to avoid thinking of anything else. She studied each stray strand of cloth coming off the carpet, or every slightly worn spot; anything to keep her mind clear. However, her forced inner peace was interrupted.

"Weiss!" The name was called out from a short distance away, and the sound of footsteps quickly followed. "Weiss, I was looking for you!" Before her stood an energetic, panting Ruby. "Yang said you went to the cafeteria, but when I showed up, you weren't there. I texted Yang but she said you weren't at the dorm either."

Weiss did her best to hide how frustrated she was. "Sorry, I haven't been to the cafeteria yet. I was at the nurse's office. I just wanted to make sure I was alright after last night. I… felt a little worse than I let on. I didn't want you to worry." She watched Ruby grow concerned. "Don't worry, I'm fine. It was just a freak thing."

Ruby was put at ease once she heard her partner was okay. "Hey, since you're feeling better and you haven't eaten yet, wanna go grab some breakfast before classes start? I'm pretty hungry."

Weiss checked the time on her scroll, then put it away and nodded. "Sure."

* * *

"What about a game?"

"I'm not playing a video game with you."

"A board game?"

"No."

Classes were over for the day, and team RWBY was trying to figure out how to spend the remainder of their day. Weiss was fine with studying, while Blake was perfectly content with reading the day away in her bed. Yang and Ruby, however, wanted to do something more.

Yang was sitting backward in a chair, rocking back and forth. "What about another snowball fight? It was fun the other day, right?"

"I'm not fond about the idea of getting pelted with another 'snowball', if that's what you called it. It was essentially a rock," Weiss deadpanned. She didn't even look away from her notes. "I'm fine just where I am, thank you."

"Yang," Blake started. "Why don't you and I go see a movie?" The faunus closed her book and looked up. "I know you wanted to go see one the other day."

The blonde pondered the idea. "I mean, that sounds fun and all, but then that would leave Ruby and Weiss alone." Blake raised an eyebrow and held an expression that screamed "That's the point". Yang realized very quickly what she was trying to do. "Are you guys okay with me and Blake going out for a bit? If not, we can stay."

Weiss gave no answer, assuming her silence would be enough of one on its own. Ruby dangled her legs off her bed and swung them back and forth slowly. "If you guys want to go out and do something, I won't stop you." She pointed to Weiss, then to herself. "If you want to see a movie, the one we saw yesterday was really good. I think you two would like it."

"Cool." Yang looked at her girlfriend. "Blake, you down to go see that one?"

"Sure. It sounds like it could be fun." Blake set her book down on her bedside table and stood up. "I'm pretty much ready to go right now, what about you?"

Yang grinned. "Oh, I'm _always_ ready." She walked over and grabbed Blake's hand, then started to lead her out of the dorm. "Alrighty. We'll be back later. Don't wait up." After she gave a half salute to Ruby, she closed the door. The dorm fell quiet once the couple left.

A few hours had passed since Blake and Yang left for their date. Despite her best efforts, Ruby couldn't convince Weiss to do anything but study. Every time she offered up an idea, Weiss shot it down. Eventually, Ruby gave up and decided to play games on her scroll. But, after her scroll began to signal a low battery, she couldn't even do that.

Ruby plugged her scroll into a charger and groaned. "Weiss could we just do _something_?"

"Why don't we make plans for the weekend instead of today," Weiss said between writing words in her notebook.

"Because I'm bored _nooooow_."

Weiss put her pencil down and spun around in her chair, draping her arm over the back. "Ruby, I'm sorry, but I really want to study. When the weekend comes around, I promise I'll help plan something with the rest of the team."

"Fine," Ruby groaned. She grabbed her scroll on the charger and tried to think of things that wouldn't drain her battery while it was charging. "I suppose I could text Blue," she said softly.

Despite her saying it quietly, Weiss still picked up on Ruby's words. "What did you just say?"

"Huh?" Ruby up from her scroll. "Oh, remember how I told you I had a friend on a dating app? We have nicknames for each other. Their name is 'Blue' and mine is 'Red'." She smiled. "Cute, right?"

Weiss' hand started trembling. She closed her notebook, then stood from her chair while leaning on its back for support. "R-Ruby… what app do you use to talk to your friend?"

"Beacon Chat. It was supposed to be a dating app, but I never really used it that way."

Each word made Weiss' anxiety skyrocket. "B-Beacon… Chat? I'm not familiar with that app." Weiss could have easily told Ruby she was Blue, but something was keeping her from doing it. She wasn't sure why, she just couldn't convince herself to come clean about the whole thing. It's like part of her wanted Ruby to know, but another, stronger part of her wanted to keep it a secret. After all, Ruby didn't even know she had Beacon Chat. "Excuse me, I'll be right back."

"Is everything okay? You look like something's bothering you. Do you wanna talk?"

"Yes. I mean, no. I mean… I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be out in a bit." Weiss grabbed her scroll and quickly walked to the bathroom. Once inside, she closed the top lid of the toilet and sat down, her mind going at a million miles an hour. _"No. No. No no no. Ruby? No. Impossible. Ridiculous. Absurd. Preposterous. Ludicrous. Not Ruby."_ Her thoughts did little to ease her racing heart. As carefully as she could, she attempted to calm her shaking hands and text Yang.

W: **WHERE ARE YOU**

Weiss sent her message then dropped her phone. How could Red be Ruby? Obviously, it wasn't impossible in her mind, just highly unlikely. After all, there were tons of people in the school. Each second spent waiting for Yang to text her back felt like an eternity. The longer she waited, the stranger she started to feel. The more she thought about the fact that she had been talking to Ruby on a _dating_ app, the stronger her feelings became. Maybe she did start to develop feelings for Red? That had to be it. She had a crush on them and finding out that it was Ruby the whole time was just far too shocking for her to handle. But, if that was it, she could just talk to her, but she still couldn't convince herself to talk to her. Before she could think about anything else, her scroll rang.

 _ **We just got to the school. What's up? Did something happen? You don't usually use caps like that.**_

W: **HURRY BACK**

After she hit the send button, she dropped her phone on the floor. What drove her the craziest, was the fact that she wasn't upset that she found Ruby on a dating app, but she would have been upset if Ruby had gotten matched with someone else. Was she jealous? No, Weiss Schnee didn't get jealous. Then, something caught her off guard. For a split second, she imagined Ruby and her as a couple, which shot her emotions into overdrive.

" _This is insanity at its best. I… I only thought of that because it's a dating app. That's it."_

She slid off the toilet and sat on the cold, linoleum floor of the bathroom. The change in temperature calmed her somewhat, but only because it was a small shock to her nervous system. It didn't work for long, and she was soon back to panicking.

Before long, another small comfort came her way. She heard the unmistakable sound of the dorm's door opening and then heard a familiar voice. "Ruby, is everything okay?"

"Oh, you're back. Yeah, everything's fine. Why?"

Weiss bolted out of the bathroom and grabbed Yang by the hand, pulling her into the hallway. "She will be back in a minute."

Yang didn't have time to argue. Weiss had her out of the dorm and the door closed in a matter of seconds. Yang looked at the white-haired girl in front of her. She looked absolutely distraught. Her face was red, she was shaking and her breathing seemed ragged. "Weiss, what's wrong?"

"W-We need to talk about your sister."

Yang leaned down and placed a hand on each of trembling girl's shoulders. "Okay, okay. What about her?"

Weiss shakily held up her scroll. "R-Red… is Ruby."

* * *

 **Damn, I meant to have this out a lot sooner. Unfortunately, a bunch of stupid stuff happened and I couldn't post it when I wanted. Regardless, here's the next chapter and it didn't take me almost a year to upload it this time. Hope everyone likes it. See y'all in the next one.**

 **:D**


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